Life After You
by Kaychan87
Summary: He was the school's number one troublemaker. She was the school's reigning princess. A chance meeting in detention brought them together. Can their relationship survive the odds against them? Gin x Rukia
1. First Meeting

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 1 ~ First Meeting**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes: **Here we are! I'm officially posting the long awaited first chapter of _Life After You_! I'm almost finished writing this story and feel that I have enough written to start posting it now. I'd like to dedicated this entire story to my good friend, Dragen Eyez, whose request for a Gin x Rukia fic started all of this! Hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

_ "All that I'm after is a life full of laughter/As long as I'm laughing with you/I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after_  
_After the life we've been through/'Cause I know there's no life after you" (Life After You, Daughtry)_

_ "Gin, sweetie, you can't keep shutting the world out like this," Rangiku Matsumoto told her childhood friend. She had gone out of her way to visit him since he had been avoiding the world for almost two months._

_ "What's the point Ran? Ain't got a life no more," Gin Ichimaru sulked from his bed. He had barely moved from it in the weeks that had followed the end of his relationship. When he did leave the confines of his room, anyone who saw him swore they were looking at a ghost. Surely that was all Gin was by that point, a ghost of his former self._

_ "Nonsense!" snapped Rangiku. Carefully, she sat down on Gin's bed. "You still have me. And all our friends," she added softly._

_ "They're mostly her friends," he muttered before moving until his head was resting on her lap._

_ "They're your friends too," Rangiku sighed as she idly ran her hand affectionately through Gin's short, silvery hair._

_ "I jus' don' know what t'do now, Ran. I love her so much it hurts," Gin admitted, glancing up at his friend._

_ "I know. It'll get easier, I promise."_

_ "Ya sure?"_

_ Rangiku just nodded and continued to stroke his hair. "I'll be here every step of the way," she told him._

_ "Thanks, Ran."  
_

_

* * *

_

Gin Ichimaru was the class troublemaker. He literally thrived on other peoples' discomfort and misery. He was perhaps the most feared person at Karakura High. So it was no surprise when he sauntered into the after school detention room, his usual sly grin on his face.

"Have a seat, Mr. Ichimaru," the teacher in charge said without looking up at Gin.

"Sure, sure," Gin said nonchalantly as his gaze swept over the room, taking in the faces of his fellow troublesome misfits. There was Ikkaku Madarame in the back corner with his boyfriend, Yumichika Ayasegawa, obviously there for fighting. A few seats from them was Shuuhei Hisagi, his best friend's current boy toy. Gin assumed he had been caught lifting skirts or trying to spy on the girls changing after gym class. Hisagi always seemed like he was in trouble for some lewd act or another. Towards the front of the room was Gin's favourite person to play with, Ichigo Kurosaki, and a girl Gin never expected to see in detention in a million years.

"I can't believe I got detention because of you, you moron!" the girl was complaining to Ichigo.

"Your own fault for losing your temper, stupid," Ichigo replied.

"Ain't that our reignin' princess, Rukia Kuchiki?" Gin asked, loud enough to gain the attention of everyone in the room. He grinned as the girl blushed, embarrassed to be seen among the regular delinquents.

"So what? I'm not perfect, you know," she grumbled, looking at her desktop.

Gin's grin widened as he slid into an empty desk next to the girl. "Yer the school's princess! What could a girl like you have done t'get detention?" he asked, watching her intently.

"Ichigo provoked me and my outburst got me detention," she replied, glaring at the boy on the other side of her.

"Whatever," muttered Ichigo as he turned his back to the girl.

Rukia rolled her eyes and turned her back on him as well. "You're Gin Ichimaru, right?" she asked.

"In th'flesh," he replied, grinning.

"Everyone calls you a snake, but you look more like a fox to me," she mused, her eyes roaming over his face.

"I'm sly and cunnin' like a fox, true," he started, "but I'm deadlier'an any snake."

"I see," was all she said.

Gin's grin went from sly to wicked as he leaned closer to Rukia. "Ya better stay close t'me, Princess. I'll keep ya safe from the wolves in th'room," he told her, his voice low.

"Pipe down, Ichimaru. This is detention, not some warped speed dating service," the teacher snapped, glaring at Gin.

"O'course. Was jus' wishin' Princess here luck," Gin replied as he slouched back into his seat.

"Miss Kuchiki doesn't need your taint rubbing off on her," added the annoyed teacher. Gin shrugged in response. The teacher resumed his work and Gin turned back to Rukia, who was laughing quietly at him.

"Do I amuse ya?" Gin asked in a whisper

Rukia nodded and smiled at Gin, a hint of mischief sparkling in her eyes.

"Such a devious princess ya are," he told her.

"I told you I'm not perfect," she whispered back.

"Mr. Ichimaru, Miss Kuchiki, that is quite enough!" the teacher snapped again.

Rukia flushed and quieted down while Gin continued to smirk.


	2. Lunch Date

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 2 ~ Lunch Date**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Here it is! Chapter 2! Haha. Updates will usually happen on Thursdays for this story, guys. Once a week until I've finished writing the story. And then it might be bumped to twice a week, depending on how many chapters I have left! Thanks for all the support for Chapter 1! Hopefully you guys enjoy this story.

Now, about that first italicized paragraph... you'll just have to wait to find out if it's a flash back, flash forward, about Rukia, etc., etc. I know. I'm mean. It'll make sense in a few chapters, I promise!

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers xdayanarax, StarPrincess999, InFieryPeace, anne, Dragen Eyez, PunkRockHolly, , ZareenBlack, and Nnoitra-Szayel (Yeah, it was just too hard to resist putting Mr. 69 in detention for pervy-ness!)! Good to see some new readers in with the familiar ones! You guys are the reason I keep writing! Thank you sooooo much!

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"_And when you fall apart__/__Am I the reason for your endless sorrow?__/__There's so much to be said and with a broken heart__  
__You walls can only go down but so low/Can you hear me when I call your name?" (Call Your Name, Daughtry)_

Several days later, Gin entered the school cafeteria and made his way through the crowds towards the table occupied by Rukia and her friends. Normally Gin ate lunch on his own or with Rangiku and her friends. That had been his plan for the day until he opened his locker and found a note addressed to him. The fancy writing and the rabbit themed stationary were a dead give away to the identity of the note's writer.

"Gin! Over here!" Rukia called the moment she spotted the silver haired teen. She waved her arms back and forth to help get Gin's attention.

"Feisty as always, Princess," Gin said as he approached the young woman.

Rukia just smirked at the silver haired teen. Ever since her detention encounter with Gin, Rukia could not get him off her mind. He was nothing like her other friends. He marched to the beat of an entirely different type of drum. He was scary yet kind all at the same time Or so she believed. He had gone so far as walking her home after detention had ended the other day.

"Yer table's awful full, Princess. Don' think I can join ya," Gin pointed out.

"Sure there is. Just grab a chair and squish yourself in here. Renji can move over," Rukia said, string pointedly at the red haired teen practically crowding her.

"I don't think letting someone like him join us is a good idea," the red haired teen said, giving Gin a wary look.

"Yer boy toy's got th'right idea, Princess. Ain't gonna bring ya nothin' but trouble," agreed Gin. He barely paid any attention to the looks he was receiving from Renji. Gin was well aware of the fact that a pretty, popular, rich girl like Rukia Kuchiki was way too good to ever be friends with the likes of him. Gin tried not to entertain fantasies. He preferred facing reality head on. Nothing good ever came from indulging in flights of fancy.

"Shouldn't I be the one who decides that?" Rukia demanded with a scowl. "I don't have to listen to either of you idiots if I don't want to."

"I'm just lookin' out for you, Rukia," Renji sulked.

"I can take care of myself, Renji. Stop hovering. You're worse than my brother," Rukia practically hissed. Renji just blushed from embarrassment. Gin couldn't help smirking at that. He had to admit that Rukia certainly had a knack for putting people in their places. To him, there was definitely something sexy about a woman in charge.

"Well, can't be helped now, can it? The princess has spoken," Gin said with a shrug. He did as he had been instructed and pulled a chair up between Renji and Rukia. He also ignored the resulting venom filled glare from Renji in favour of Rukia's triumphant grin.

"Was that so hard Gin?" she questioned playfully.

"Sure it was. Had t'lug this this chair over, didn' I?" Gin replied just as playfully.

"Oh, just shut up," Rukia said with a roll of her eyes.

Gin just chuckled. "Nah. Ain't no fun if I ain't allowed t'pick on ya."

"Yeah, yeah. No one expects you to be nice."

"Good."

The two teens just exchanged playful smiles after that and carried on with lunch as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Slowly Rukia's friends began to adjust to and accept Gin's presence, knowing that he would probably become a regular member of the group if Rukia had her own way. The only person who remained opposed to Gin's presence was Renji, Rukia's lifelong companion.

Renji had been Rukia's best friend from the day she was born. A year older than the girl, Renji had also taken it upon himself to be her big brother. He'd kept his claim on her even after she had moved in with her brother-in-law after her own sister's death. So the absolute last thing Renji wanted was to see Rukia get mixed up with the likes of Gin Ichimaru. He was bad for Rukia in every way imaginable. Renji would not let anything hurt Rukia as long as he was around to protect her. H could handle her being mad at him for a few days. He could not, however, stand to see her setting herself up for months of misery.

When lunch was ending, Renji stood up. "Rukia, I'll walk you to your locker," he said, offering her a hand up from her chair.

"Uh… sure…" Rukia said slowly, arching an eyebrow at her friend. She accepted his help up and turned to face Gin. "Lunch tomorrow?"

Gin flashed her a genuine smile. "Anythin' fer the princess," he agreed. He watched Rukia wave as Renji pulled her away from the table. "Bye-bye!" he called and waved back.

* * *

"Ran, I need yer help," Gin confessed as he and Rangiku walked home together.

"What? Really?" Rangiku exclaimed, surprised by Gin. In all the years she had known him, Gin had only asked her for help a handful of times.

Gin nodded at her. Rangiku clapped her hands together with a thrilled laugh. "Need ya t'distract Renji Abarai. He's tryin' t'keep me away from th'princess."

All the joy drained away from rangiku's face. Concern quickly replaced it. Gin had told her about his meeting with Rukia Kuchiki in detention and his interest in the girl worried her. People like Rukia Kuchiki didn't feel anything genuine about people like her Gin. Rangiku was certain Rukia would toss Gin aside when he ceased to amuse her.

"Ran? What's wrong with ya? Yer all quiet," Gin asked, unceremoniously poking one of Rangiku's supple breasts.

Instinctively, Rangiku slapped his hand away. "I won't do it, Gin. I won't help you do something as stupid aspursue Rukia Kuchiki," she told him firmly.

Gin frowned. "Whatcha mean Ran?"

"She's just using you for her own amusement! She's just going to toss you aside like garbage when she gets bored!"

Gin's frown deepened and his brow furrowed. "Ya don' know what yer talkin' about, Ran. Rukia ain't like them other rich girls. She's got a fiery streak in'er!" he protested, trying to defend his interest.

"Then you're on your own, Gin," Rangiku told him. "I wash my hands of this entire situation."

Gin scowled at his busty friend. "Do whatcha want, then. I don' care," he said sulkily before walking away from Rangiku. The strawberry haired youth just sighed as she watched him go.

'_I hope you see things clearly before you get hurt, Gin._'


	3. Rukia

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 3 ~ Rukia**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes: **Well, here's this weeks update! Next weeks might be delayed. I'm having computer problems again. As a result, my two pending one shots and my next set of drabbles are being delayed yet again. Sorry guys. We have no idea what's wrong with my laptop this time, so we're going to try reformatting it. Here's hoping that it works for me!

Just a quick note on the last chapter, but Orihime and Tatsuki were among Rukia's friends despite being unnamed. I thought I'd share that interesting tidbit of mostly useless information! Also, I see Renji got some good laughs out of people last chapter! I love writing for Renji! Also, here's some advance warning, but since this is AU there will be some OoC moments, since I want to explore lesser seen sides of characters! Especially Rukia and Gin!

Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers Nnoitra-Szayel, Rukes, ZareenBlack, xdaynarax, Sepsis, ReaperDuckling, StarPrincess999, anne, rukiharem, PunkRockHolly, and Xaila'n'Eli! Your support is appreciated!

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"_I probably wouldn't be this way__/__I probably wouldn't hurt so bad__/__I never pictured every minute without you in it__  
__Oh you left so fast__/__Sometimes I see you standing there__/__Sometimes it's like I'm losing touch__  
__Sometimes I feel that I'm so lucky to have had the chance to love this much__  
__God gave me a moment's grace__/__Cause if I'd never seen your face__/__I probably wouldn't be this way" (Probably Wouldn't Be This Way, Leann Rimes)_

"What the Hell was that about at lunch, Renji?" Rukia demanded as she walked home with Renji and Ichigo.

"Getting involved with a creep like Ichimaru isn't a good thing, Rukia! You should know that!" Renji barked, a little annoyed that Rukia was being so loud about the situation in public. He really didn't want anyone overhearing any part of their discussion. "You should be focusing on yourself right now, anyway! Don't waste your energy on worthless people."

Rukia glared up at Renji, ready to release all her fury at him. She opened her mouth to yell when Ichigo held up a hand to silence her.

"He's just worried about you, Rukia. You may be able to fool everyone else, but not us," the orange haired teen said calmly. Though his own temper was just as bad as Rukia's and Renji's, Ichigo was usually the voice of reason when the three of them were together. "We just want to see you healthy and happy," he added pointedly.

"How can I be happy with Renji meddling in my life? I'm not a kid anymore. Even Byakuya doesn't interfere as much as Renji does," Rukia complained.

"Move on and forget Ichimaru, that's how," Ichigo said. Rukia glared at him accusingly. Ichigo just rolled his eyes at her. "You should have known that I'd be on his side."

"I hate when you double team me! It's not fair because you guys are dating!" huffed Rukia.

"Even if I wasn't dating Ichigo, he'd still agree with me," Renji told her, reaching over to ruffle her hair. Renji's actions caused Rukia to scowl more. "Just listen to us for once and we'll back off."

"I'm not going to let you bully me about this. I want to get to know Gin and you certainly can't stop me!" Rukia snapped, shoving Renji away from her before running off.

"Real smooth, Renji," Ichigo said, placing a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Ah, Hell. Just shut up," grumbled Renji.

"I agree that she can do much better than Ichimaru, but don't you think you should let her live the way she wants to?" Ichigo asked softly.

Renji turned to face him. "I don't want her to have any regrets, Ichi."

Ichigo nodded. "I know, but she'll regret not getting to do things her way with the time she has left if she does everything your way."

Renji sighed and laid his head against Ichigo's shoulder. "I'm selfish, Ichi. I don't want to share her with anyone else."

"I know, Ren, I know." Ichigo rubbed Renji's back comfortingly.

* * *

Rukia ran blindly down the streets of Karakura. Her feet were leading her to the one place she always went to when she wanted to be alone. When she was younger, she had spent so much time at her sister's grave that it became a place of comfort rather than a place of mourning. Rukia had only been ten when Hisana had passed away. Rukia had been completely devastated by Hisana's death. She had become an orphan. If Hisana's husband hadn't offered to raise her, Rukia would have lost everything precious to her. She loved Byakuya Kuchiki as much as she had loved Hisana.

Despite his best efforts, though, he could and would never be able to fill the void Hisana's absence had created within her. Hisana had been seventeen and Rukia had been five when their father had died. Their mother had died during childbirth. Hisana had been the only mother figure Rukia had ever known. No one could replace Hisana in Rukia's heart.

"Sister, are you there? It's Rukia, again," the dark haired teen said as she sat in the grass in front of her sister's tombstone. Hisana had been buried next to their parents instead of with the Kuchiki family. "Are Mother and Father with you in heaven? I hope so," she said softly. Every time she visited, she asked that same question. While Rukia had never known her mother and only had vague memories of her father, Hisana had known and loved them deeply. Rukia liked to believe that Hisana had been reunited with their parents.

"I wish you or Mother were here to help me now. I met a boy and I don't know what to do," Rukia said to the tombstone, her eyes filling with tears. "Renji and Ichigo think I should stay away from him because he isn't good for me. That's their veiled way of saying I'm going to leave him sooner rather than later. But Mother beat the odds and had two children. And you lived years longer than your doctors thought you would, Sister."

Rukia drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "This boy, he makes me feel hopeful. I wonder is Byakuya made you feel that way? Is that why you married him despite knowing you were dying? I need help and I have no one I can go to!"

Tears began to roll down Rukia's cheeks as she stared at Hisana's tombstone. Hisana always knew how to quell Rukia's fears, had always known just the right thing to say to make Rukia's tears stop.

"You do what it is that allows you to live happily."

Rukia looked over her shoulder and sniffled. "Brother? How did you know I was here?" she asked.

"Abarai contacted me. He said you were upset. This was the most logical place for you to come to," Byakuya Kuchiki told his sister. "You always seek Hisana's comfort when you are upset."

"Oh," was all Rukia could say. She should have known that Byakuya would be able to find her easily. Byakuya had been the only one of Hisana's boyfriends that Rukia had ever known. He had been there for not just Hisana but Rukia too when their father had died. He had helped Hisana raise Rukia even before he married Hisana. He knew Rukia just as well as Hisana had.

"It is growing cold out, Rukia. Come, let us return home," Byakuya said, offering Rukia a hand up.

"Thank you, Brother," the dark haired teen said, allowing Byakuya to pull her off the ground.

"On the way, you may tell me about this boy," Byakuya added.

Rukia began to blush furiously at the thought of talking to her brother about boys and dating. '_I'm going to kill Renji for this,_' she vowed as she walked quietly with Byakuya to his car.


	4. Cute

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 4 ~ Cute**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Here's chapter 4 guys! My computer's not working any better, but since I only have one prize one shot left to work on, I think I can handle random crashes. Will also have my new set of drabbles up some time today. Be on the look out for them!

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers Sakana-san, Rukes, ZareenBlack, StarPrincess999, Nnoitra-Szayel, and PunkRockHolly!

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"_What hurts the most__/__Is being so close/__A__nd having so much to say/And watching you walk away_

_And never knowing__/__What could have been__/__And not seeing that loving you__/__Is what I was trying to do" (What Hurts the Most, Rascal Flatts)_

Gin lay on his bed, absently solving a Rubik's Cube and wondering how to get closer to the Kuchiki Princess. He had never met a girl quite like Rukia. She looked fragile and reserved but she was wild and unpredictable. She was sweet and fiery all at the same time. She was the first girl since Rangiku that Gin didn't want to make into a toy for his own amusement. Instead, Gin found that he wanted to actually get to know Rukia. The fact that her friends and Rangiku were against it made him more determined to do so. "Ain't goin' t'give up jus' b'cause Ran thinks I should," he muttered aloud.

Gin had never listened to Rangiku before. There was no reason for him to start. If she wasn't going to give him her support, he would just go about his business without her. Once he proved her wrong, Gin was certain she would come around. He supported all her flings with stupid guys even when he didn't want to. '_Least she could do is support me,_' he thought as he set his solved Rubik's Cube down.

"Stupid Ran," he sighed and switched his light off.

* * *

The next morning Renji was waiting for Gin at the silver haired teen's locker. He had spent the night thinking about how to keep Gin away from Rukia. It was obvious that talking to Rukia was useless. The girl was much too stubborn to even acknowledge any of Renji's concerns. The red head hoped talking to Gin directly would be an easier task.

"Whatcha want, Abarai?"

Renji turned and found himself face to face with Gin. "We need to talk about Rukia, Ichimaru."

Gin raised an eyebrow at Renji as he dropped his book bag to the floor and started to spin the dial on his lock with a good deal of speed. "Ain't nothin' I need t'talk t'ya about," Gin said calmly.

"You need to stay away from here, Ichimaru. It's for your own good as much as hers!" Renji snapped and slammed his hand against Gin's locker to prevent him from opening it.

"The Hell us your problem Abarai? Didn' Rukia make it clear enough t'ya? It ain't up t'ya t'decide who she does an' doesn't see!" Gin practically hissed, fixing Renji with an icy glare.

However, Renji did not back down. Rather, he glared back at Gin. "I'm not intimidated by you, Ichimaru! Damn it, this is serious!"

Gin growled quietly and grabbed Renji's wrist. "If ya don' back off, Abarai, I'm goin' t'have t'force ya to," Gin said, a trace of menace in his voice.

Renji growled back and pulled his wrist free from Gin's grip. "Like Hell you will, Ichimaru!"

"Then get yer ass in gear an' get away from my locker," Gin said, his calm demeanor slipping back into place. Quietly he opened his locker, picked up his book bag, and set it inside. He also didn't spare Renji another glance.

Renji cursed quietly and turned away from Gin. "Don't say I didn't warn you, you annoying bastard," he muttered as he stalked off.

"Good riddance t'ya," Gin muttered, grabbing some books from his locker. He would definitely need to find some way or someone to stop Renji. Obviously the red haired teen would not be deterred from his goal of keeping Rukia away from Gin. With a frustrated sigh, Gin slammed his locker shut.

"Gin? Something wrong?"

Gin looked over and saw Rukia staring at him with wide eyes. Gin's expression softened as he gazed down at the tiny girl. "Ain't nothin' t'worry yerself over, Princess," he said softly.

Rukia raised an eyebrow at Gin. "So do you slam your locker door around every day?"

Gin cracked a grin. "Sure, why not?"

Rukia just shook her head at Gin. "Weirdo."

"I'm a good weirdo."

"Sure you are Gin. Sure you are," she laughed.

"So, what's up Princess? Ya need somethin' from me?" he asked, leaning down so he was almost kissing her.

Rukia flushed faintly and looked anywhere but at Gin's face. "Well, we do have first period together, so I was wondering if you wanted company on the walk there?" she asked.

"Yer in my first period? Ain't ya a grade under me?" Gin asked her.

"I took it as an elective because I had nothing better to do," Rukia replied, sounding slightly hurt by the fact that Gin hadn't noticed they had a class together.

"Ya took advanced physics b'cause ya had nothin' better t'do?" Gin asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Rukia's blush deepened. "So?" she asked defensively.

"Yer cute, Princess," Gin told her as he dropped an arm around her shoulders. "C'mon then. Today yer sittin' with me though. Ya ain't hidin' from me anymore," he told her as he began to lead her away from his locker.

"You think I'm cute?"

Gin just smiled at her in response as they walked to class together.


	5. Cat Fight

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 5 ~ Cat Fight**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes: **Here's this week's update! I just had my computer format, so there will be no drabbles until some point tomorrow. Since LAY was pre-written and therefore already typed up, I am able to post it. My hubby just has a few more things to finish up and it's good as new! Also, I'm getting a lot of anti-Renji vibes guys. *sweat drops* He really does mean well! Don't be too hard on him!

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers Sakana-san (The lyrics are all from songs in my LAY playlist!), Rukes, Megami-Chan, StarPrincess999, Nnoitra-Szayel, PunkRockHolly, and ZareenBlack!

* * *

"_Don't look over your shoulder__/__'Cause that's just the ghost of me__/__You're seeing in your dreams__/__Wait, there's no rhyme or reason_

_Sometimes there's no meaning__/__In the visions when you're sleepin'__/__Don't wake up and believe them__/__You're looking at the ghost of me" (Ghost of Me, Daughtry)_

"Gin, I was thinking… maybe today we eat lunch with your friends?" Rukia suggested as she and Gin walked to lunch together It had been several weeks since Renji had confronted Gin at his locker. After she had found out about Renji's visit with Gin, Rukia had just stopped speaking to him all together. Unless Renji was absent, Gin and Rukia often spent their days eating lunch alone.

"Some of my friends are like Abarai. They ain't willin' ta adjust t'th'idea of us," Gin answered, choosing his words carefully.

"'Us'?" Rukia asked, raising an eyebrow at Gin. "Are we an official 'us' Gin?"

Gin blinked and looked down at his small companion. Thenhe looked away quickly, a faint blush colouring his cheeks. "Always thought we were an 'us'," he mumbled sheepishly. As arrogant as Gin could be, talking about relationships still embarrassed him. It was especially worse because he was talking to the girl he wanted a relationship with.

"Really? Even with my crazy friends trying to break us up?" Rukia asked seriously. She slipped her hand into Gin's as they walked down the hall.

"Ain't that what good friends do when a girl tries t'date a bad boy?" Gin asked, looking down at their interlaced hands instead of at Rukia's face.

Rukia muttered something that Gin thought sounded like 'Renji's just a crazy bastard' with a cross expression on her face. Gin gave her hand a firm but gentle squeeze and watched her expression. Gin smiled at her, his own expression filled with genuine adoration. With Rukia, he didn't have to hide behind the mask he always wore. He could show her all his emotions, not just his calm but mocking smile.

"So we're really an 'us'?" Rukia asked slowly.

"If ya wanna be, Princess," Gin replied with a nod.

Rukia nodded, blushing brightly. "Yeah, I wanna be. Who wouldn't?"

Gin grinned and raised their hands to his mouth and lightly kissed the top of hers. "Then my princess shall meet my friends as my girlfriend."

Rukia's blush deepened as Gin led her outside. His group of friends usually ate outside to avoid the crowded cafeteria. Rukia inched closer to Gin, a little afraid of meeting the people Gin called his friends. They all had reputations as bad as Gin's. Rukia knew that didn't make them bad people, but it was intimidating and she knew their social circles didn't mesh well. She had seen that fact first hand when she had brought Gin into her circle. She tensed slightly as she and Gin quietly approached the small group sitting in the grass.

"Look who finally decided he isn't too good to eat with us," Ikkaku Madarame spoke up, flashing Gin a wicked grin. "And he brought fresh meat for us! My lucky day! What's your name, Princess?" he asked, lazily pointing a wooden sword at the duo.

"Ru-Ru-Rukia!" the dark haired girl stammered.

Ikkaku raised an eyebrow. "What the hell was that? You call that a proper introduction? Do it again!" the bald teen barked.

"Y-yes!" Rukia stammered again. "I'm Rukia Kuchiki, Gin's girlfriend. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

With a crooked smirk, Ikkaku nodded in approval. "I'm Ikkaku Madarame, captain of the school's kendo club."

Rukia smiled and relaxed a bit. Gin nudged her forward and the two of them took a seat in the grass. "Th'pretty on next ta him is Yumichika Ayasegawa, his boyfriend. Th'blond emo boy is Izuru Kira," Gin told Rukia before he turned to face Rangiku and Shuuhei. "That beauty there is y best friend, Rangiku Matsumoto, an' her latest boyfriend, Shuuhei Hisagi." Gin smiled triumphantly at Rangiku. Rangiku, on the other hand, just glared at Gin and Rukia.

"Yo," Shuuhei said with a wave. Rangiku turned her glare onto him. "Oh, chill out Rangiku. There's nothing you can do about it now," he told her, patting her on the head.

"Like Hell there isn't," Rangiku muttered.

"I'm sorry, but did I do something to you Rangiku?" Rukia demanded as she fixed Rangiku with a glare of her own.

"Not yet. But you will. And when you do, I will break every prissy bone in your body," Rangiku growled. The guys in the group all turned to gape at Rangiku. They had never seen her get so nasty with another person before. They were used to seeing Rangiku all bubbly and friendly with everyone.

"Damn that's hot," Ikkaku said with a whistle.

Yumichika reached over and gave the bald man a forceful smack upside the head. "Do you want me to break up with you?" Yumichika demanded angrily.

"Aw, c'mon Yumichika. You know I don't mean anything by it," Ikkaku said as he rubbed his head. "Besides, Ran's far too gentle for me. You know I like it rough." The other guys laughed as Yumichika scowled at his lover.

"Don't go blabbing about our sordid sex life in front of Gin's lovely new girlfriend. Between you and Ran she's going to hate us," Yumichika complained.

"Good riddance to her, then. We don't need her here to look down her pretty little fake nose at us lowly commoners," Rangiku said.

Rukia narrowed her eyes at Rangiku. "Better me than the school's biggest slut."

Rangiku bristled at the mention of the "s" word. "You don't know a damn thing about me you pretentious bitch!"

"And you don't know a damn thing about me! So why don't you keep your mouth shut?" retorted Rukia.

"She has a point, Ran," Izuru pointed out softly. "You can't judge a person based on their reputation if you don't want the same done to you."

Gin reached out and took one of Rangiku's hands in his own. "Ran, I need ya t'play nice. I don' wanna lose my best friend like this. But I ain't givin' this up fer anyone," he said softly, squeezing her hand lovingly.

"You're an idiot Gin! An idiot!" Rangiku snapped and pulled her hand from Gin's. With cat-like grace, she rose to her feet and sauntered away from the group.

"Damn. Now I have to do damage control," sighed Shuuhei.

"Sorry," Gin mumbled even though he wasn't. He loved Rangiku like a sister but he couldn't tolerate her efforts to break up his new relationship. She needed to accept his choice even if she didn't like it. That was part of unconditional love, wasn't it? Gin had always assumed so.

"I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to make trouble," Rukia apologized as well.

Gin blinked at her. "Whatcha apologizing' fer, Princess? Ya ain't done nothin' wrong."

"I could have been a little more tactful," Rukia pointed out.

"Nah. She needed to hear all that," Shuuhei said as he stood up. "Just don't tell her I'm taking your side, Kuchiki.

"Something tells me I won't be telling her anything for a while," Rukia pointed out.

"Ran'll come to her senses. Don't worry about it too much," Yumichika said. "If you stress over it, you'll go bald like Ikkaku."

"You bastard! Who're you calling bald?" Ikkaku shouted.

"We like you, Kuchiki, so just relax," Shuuhei told her while Ikkaku and Yumichika bickered loudly in the background.

"Ah, thank you," Rukia said, blushing faintly. Shuuhei waved and ran off to locate his angry girlfriend.

"Ran just doesn't want to share Gin with anyone. She's always been like that," Izuru told Rukia, who nodded. She could understand that. Renji was acting the same way for the same reason.

"She wasn' like that wi'th'lot of ya," Gin reminded Izuru.

"With the exception of Yumichika, none of us are a threat to her place as the only woman in your life," Ikkaku said, only to be smacked once more by Yumichika. "That was a compliment, damn it! I just said you were beautiful!"

"You called me a woman! I'm just as manly as you are! I just exress it in a far more beautiful way!"

"And once again, they're off," Izuru muttered, shaking his head at Ikkaku and Yumichika.

"Ya sure ya wanna be part o'this insanity Princess?" Gin asked Rukia, watching her face carefully.

"Are you kidding? I go through this every day with Ichigo and Renji," Rukia replied with a laugh. She leaned over and patted Gin on the head. The silver haired teen raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "If Renji hasn't managed to scare you off by now, what makes you think I'll let Rangiku come between us?" she asked seriously.

"Yer not scared they might team up t'break us up?" Gin asked her, his tone just as serious as hers.

"Nope," she replied nonchalantly. "I know I can beat the crap out of Renji."

Gin couldn't help but laugh at her response. He didn't doubt her words. He suspected that Renji would let Rukia beat him up. There was no way Renji would cause Rukia any physical harm.

"You keep laughing and I'll kick your ass too!"

Rukia's angry words pulled Gin back to reality. "I know ya will, Princess," he said seriously. "But I'll probably enjoy it, ya know."

"Gin!" Rukia couldn't help but blush at his words. Gin just chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Pest," she mumbled.

"Ya love it."


	6. Conversation

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 6 ~ Conversations**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Here's today's chapter, very late. It's been a rough day, haha. Ah well, what can you do? All a part of life, right? Here's the oh so thrilling conclusion to Rukia and Rangiku's cat fight! Enjoy~!

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers Rukes, Nnoitra-Szayel (I'd pick Gin's friends over Rukia's anyday!), StarPrincess999, princessdoll, ZareenBlack (Your 2nd one shot is almost done! It'll be up this weekend, I promise!), and Artemis Nyx (Yeah, I love bringing out the inner perv in Hisagi!)!

* * *

"_You'd think that I'd learn my lesson by now__/__You'd think that I'd somehow figure out__/__That if you strike the match__/__You're bound to feel the flame__  
__You think that I'd learn the cost of love__/__Paid that price long enough__/__But still I drive myself right through the pain__/__Yeah, well it turns out, I haven't learned a thing" (Learn My Lesson, Daughtry)_

Rangiku pushed open the door that lead to the school's rooftop and strode towards the group of teens sitting up there. She had managed to lose Shuuhei, which would work in her favour, in order to track down Renji Abarai. She knew Renji would be the only other person who wanted Gin and Rukia to break up as much as she did. She had hoped to get him alone so she could use her feminine charms on him. The fact that she could not annoyed her but it would not deter her.

"Hi boys!" she called out as she approached the all male group. They all looked over as she approached them and Rangiku flashed them a dazzling smile. "Can I join you?" she asked sweetly.

"Of course you can! Here, have my spot!" exclaimed a boy with shoulder length brown hair.

"Thank you! You're Keigo, aren't you? I think we have math together," Rangiku gushed, working her charm on him.

"Yes, we do! I can't believe you remember me!" the boy said with a goofy grin. The he appeared to be gazing at her face, his eyes were slowly drifting lower as Rangiku approached and sat down where he had been sitting.

"Of course I know who you are! I'm not some shallow and vapid girl you know," she stated as Keigo relocated to a spot just behind her.

"Then stop acting the part and get to why you came," snapped Renji. The red head had been incredibly irritable since Rukia had stopped speaking to him.

Rangiku opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by an outburst from just behind her.

"Don't speak to the luscious Booby Goddess like that Renji! A delicate flower such as Rangiku Matsumoto is far too precious to deal with barbarians like you!" Keigo exclaimed.

"'Booby Goddess'?" Rangiku asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Yeah, you are the incredibly sexy Booby Goddess," Keigo answered seriously.

"Keigo, shut up," Ichigo said. Keigo went silent immediately. "She's hear about something about Rukia and Ichimaru, idiot."

"Oh," was all Keigo said.

"Well aren't you a smart one?" Rangiku said sarcastically.

"What do you want Matsumoto?" Renji asked again.

"The same thing you want, Abarai. I don't like her anymore than you like Gin."

"Go find someone else to help you," Renji said without waiting to hear more from the young woman.

Rangiku frowned. "But you hate them together! Gin wanted me to 'distract' you so he could get close to her!"

Renji just shrugged. Rukia was angry enough with him. It was driving him crazy. All he wanted was his friend back. The weeks of silence were taking their toll on him. He was moody to the point where the guys rarely wanted him around, Ichigo included. "If anything happens to Rukia because of Ichimaru, though, I will beat him into a bloody pulp," the red head added with a growl.

"If anyone's going to get hurt, it'll be Gin!" Rangiku exclaimed, annoyed that everyone was making Gin out to be the bad one. "Your little princess will just dump him when she gets bored!"

Renji's expression darkened and he clenched his fists tightly while the other guys watched quietly. When it came to protecting Rukia, Renji was a force to be reckoned with.

"You don't know a fucking thing, Matsumoto, so keep your fucking mouth shut before I shut it for you!" he practically roared. Rangiku flinched as waves of aggression seemed to roll right off of Renji.

"Easy, Renji. Don't do something you'll regret," Keigo cautioned. Renji growled and response and Keigo cowered behind Rangiku. "Take the Booby Goddess! Just spare me!"

"Coward!" Rangiku cried, glaring over her shoulder at Keigo.

"Matsumoto, let's leave before you really piss him off," Ichigo stated, getting up. He offered her a hand up and pulled her up with ease. "Keigo, calm him down and make sure he doesn't try to follow us," Ichigo instructed.

"S-sure thing," Keigo said meekly.

"Thanks," Ichigo said. With a not so gentle tug, he led Rangiku away from the group.

Keigo turned to look at Renji and took a deep breath. "So... knock knock?"

* * *

"So lunch was something interesting," Rukia said as she walked home with Renji. Though she hadn't quite forgiven him, Ichigo had begged her to talk to him again. She had been about to deny Ichigo when Renji had joined them. Seeing him look torn and deeply troubled had caused her to cave.

"Gin introduced me to his friends. They made me feel like I was one of them right away," Rukia continued when Renji didn't reply.

"Except Matsumoto," he said quietly.

Rukia just frowned. "How do you know that?"

Renji stopped walking and looked down at his companion. "She came to see if I'd help he break you and Gin up..."

"Renji!" Rukia exclaimed, looking horrified by the idea.

"Relax. I told her I wouldn't."

Rukia threw her arms around Renji and hugged him tightly. "I knew you'd come around!"

Renji rubbed her back lightly/ "I still don't like it Rukia. I'll kick his ass if he does anything inappropriate to you." Rukia just laughed and hugged him tighter. "But for you, I'll try to play nice," he added.

"That's all I ask," she said.

"Have you told him yet?" Renji asked, his voice low and serious.

Rukia frowned and stepped away from Renji. "Told who what?" she asked.

Renji glared. "Don't play dumb."

"I'm not ready. I can't do it yet," she said and started walking once more, leaving Renji behind.

"Rukia, you can't keep it from him forever! He'll start to notice. He's smarter than everyone else you're hiding this from!" Renji called, making no attempt to catch her. He knew she would just get mad and ran from him if he did. She always did when he tried to have a serious conversation with her. "Tell him before it's too late," Renji said, mostly to himself, as he slowly followed behind Rukia.


	7. Change of Heart

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 7 ~ Change of Heart**__**  
**_**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.  
**Author's Notes:** Here's this weeks chapter! I want to take a moment and sincerely thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for your continued support of this project! It means a lot to me that you're willing to support such an obscure pairing! You guys are the greatest fans a girl could have!

Random info for the last chapter - though unmentioned, Chad, Mizuiro, and Uryuu are the other members of Ichigo and Renji's group. The point of this random tidbit and the one about Rukia's group of friends? These characters will appear in later chapters! And yes, my personal bias in favour of Keigo is the reason he got a bigger part!

Dedicated to all my readers and reviewers ZareenBlack, Nnoitra-Szayel, StarPrincess999, Dragen Eyez, and turtle11!

* * *

"_On my way to L.A. looking into the rear view as the roads fade away__/__I've sworn off my past, first to last bad call that I ever made__/__Tell me how to make right every wrong turn that I've learned?__  
__So this can all end tonight__/__Tennessee line just changed my mind, well it's my heart I'll follow this time" (Tennessee Line, Daughtry)_

Gin sighed as he sat on his bed and idly played with a small wooden puzzle he had found in his closet. He had been officially dating Rukia for a week but things were seemingly getting worse for him. Not only had Rukia cancelled their date for that night (their first date at that!) but Rangiku had been acting odd around him as well. She was always giving him strange, sad looks when she thought he wasn't looking On top of her weird looks, Gin thought her sudden change of heart towards Rukia was suspicious.

'_She better not of done anythin' stupid,_' he thought, suddenly feeling angry with Rangiku. He had no other explanation for her behaviour. Even Shuuhei couldn't offer Gin any information on Rangiku's sudden change of heart towards Rukia.

Gin set his completed puzzle down and moved on to the next one. He was nervous. When he was nervous or worried he worked on puzzles or anything else that would force him to focus on finding a logical solution. Being a genius had its drawbacks. Instead of seeking comfort from real people, he sought it from stimulating mental challenges. And when it got really bad, he wreaked havoc on anyone unlucky enough to cross his path.

"I'm going to need new puzzles," he said as he set aside another completed puzzle.

* * *

Rangiku leaned her head against the moist bathroom wall as she soaked in her bubble filled tub. She had used needing a bath as an excuse to avoid dealing with her family for a little while. She had not been herself the entire week that had followed her talk with Ichigo. Her feelings about Gin's new relationship hadn't changed but her understanding of Rukia had. The things Ichigo had revealed to her weighed heavily on her heart; she found she could no longer muster the desire to try to sabotage Gin and Rukia anymore.

She sighed and closed her eyes. '_No matter what happens, Gin will end up getting hurt,_' she thought sadly. Even if it wasn't Rukia's intention, Gin would be hurt by her. Rangiku hated the idea of Gin being heartbroken. She'd had a hard enough time breaking him from his shell the first time around. She didn't know if she'd be able to do it again.

"Damn it, Kurosaki! Why'd you have to tell me her life story?" Rangiku groaned, sinking deeper into her bathtub. She began to push all thoughts of Rukia Kuchiki from her mind. She wanted to spend the rest of her bath relaxing and thinking about herself.

Fate was not on Rangiku's side. As soon as she began to relax, there were several loud bangs at the door. "Get out Rangiku! You've been in there for an hour!"

"Shut up, Brat! It's my bathroom!" she yelled back.

"**Our** bathroom! Now get out!"

Muttering something about brothers being pains, Rangiku got out of the tub and grabbed her fluffy pink towel. She pulled the plug from the drain and wrapped the towel around herself before unlocking the bathroom door. Almost immediately after it was unlocked, the door was thrown open.

"It's about time! Some of us actually have things to do other than wait around for you all night," griped her thirteen-year-old step-brother.

"I'm sure playing video games can wait Shirou," Rangiku said with an eye roll.

"If you must know." The young boy said through clenched teeth, "I'm taking a girl from soccer out tonight."

"Ohoho, little Shirou has a girlfriend! How cute! I bet she's taller than you!"

"Shut up! And stop calling me 'Shirou'!" the boy shouted as he shoved Rangiku out of their shared bathroom. "By the way, that snake-eyed bastard called for you!" he added before slamming the door shut in Rangiku's face.

Rangiku just sighed and quickly walked to her bedroom. If Gin was calling her house phone it meant he was desperate to talk to her. Rangiku wasn't sure, though, if she was able to talk one-on-one with Gin. She was afraid she'd tell him everything Ichigo had made her swear to keep secret. They weren't her secrets to tell even if every fibre of her being wanted her to tell Gin. He deserved to know the truth but he needed to hear it from Rukia.

So Rangiku did the only thing she could think to do. She grabbed her cell phone and sent Gin a quick text message and shut her phone off as soon as it was sent.

"I'm sorry Gin," she said softly and set the phone down on her night table.


	8. Health

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 8 ~ Health**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes: **Here is today's dose of _Life After You_! I'm almost finished actually writing this story. It's already surpassed 100 handwritten pages! It's been at least ten years since I've written a 100+ page story by hand! No word of a lie! I'm so proud of myself for not tossing this into the hiatus pile! And for being so diligent in writing it! I'm going to be really sad when I finish it. I've become attached to this pairing.

Many thanks to my awesome readers and reviewers StarPrincess999, Artemis Nyx, Navigate Me, Nnoitra-Szayel, ZareenBlack, and PunkRockHolly! I apologize for all the suspense, but if it keeps you guys coming back for more, there's going to be more! I know. I'm evil! Bahahaha!

* * *

"_Tell my mother__/__Tell my father__/__I've done the best I can__  
__To make them realize__/__This is my life__/__I hope they understand__  
__I'm not angry, I'm just saying...__/__Sometimes goodbye__/__Is a second chance" (Second Chance, Shinedown)_

'Out w/ Shuu. C u school.'

Gin stared at his phone in disbelief. Rangiku was brushing him off to spend the night with Shuuhei. Though it wasn't unusual for her to cancel plans they had made for her boyfriend, Rangiku had always dropped everything for him when he really needed her.

Her text message just solidified his belief that she had done something she knew Gin would be mad about. Gin flipped his phone shut and began to pace around his bedroom. Rangiku was avoiding him. Rukia had cancelled their date for reasons she could not share. In his head, he was quickly going over all the plausible reasons for those things. They always came down to one reason – Rangiku had done or said something to make Rukia cancel their date.

"Damn it," he groaned. He wanted desperately to give Rangiku the benefit of the doubt. She was his best friend, almost his sister. But the strange way she was behaving around him was telling him otherwise. He continued to pace, trying to find something, anything to prove Rangiku's innocence to himself.

Finally, he gave in and called Rukia even though she had asked him not to. The phone rang for what seemed like forever to him before he heard a faint, raspy "hello" from the other end of the line. "Rukia? Are ya... okay?" he questioned, concerned. There was a faint groan from her and Gin frowned.

_"Sorry. I was sleeping..."_

"I'm the one who's sorry. Shouldn' have called ya. Was jus' worried 'bout ya," Gin said quickly, feeling a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach at the thought of her apologizing. H assumed his strange, new feeling was guilt. Yes. He felt guilty for making her apologize to him. '_This girl is makin' me feel an' do some strange things,_' he thought with a wry smile. "Ya don' ever have ta apologize fer bein' sick t'me," he assured her.

Despite her raspy voice, Gin could hear the smile in her words. "Yer much sweeter'an me. I ain't good enough fer ya," Gin told her.

_"Stop that! You sound like Renji!"_

Gin was about to chuckle when he heard the muffled sounds of Rukia's coughs. He frowned at the thought of her trying to conceal her coughs from him. "Yer goin' back t'bed, got that? Ya don' need t'be talkin' t'me when yer clearly s'posed t'be sleepin'," he told her sternly.

_"Thank you. See you at school on Monday."_

"Sleep well, Princess," Gin said as he hung up his phone. Monday could not come soon enough for Gin.

When Monday finally did roll around, Gin was nearly late for his first period class. He had waited for Rukia at his locker for as long as he could, but she never showed up. When she wasn't in the classroom either, Gin hid his disappointment behind his usual mask. He knew she still had to be sick if she wasn't there. It was the logical explanation. Still, he could not help feeling disappointed even though it made him feel slightly off as well. '_It would seem she's makin' me more human,_' he mused as he pretended to listen to his teacher's physics lecture.

Gin was still feeling off when lunch came around. He found he didn't have the concentration needed to question Rangiku about her behaviour. He did, however, snap out of his stupor when Renji Abarai and Ichigo Kurosaki joined his group of friends for lunch.

"This is a surprise. Don' th' two o'ya hate me?" he asked when they sat down next to Rangiku.

"Sure do. Only here to pass on a message," replied Renji.

"Be nice or I'm telling Rukia," threatened Ichigo.

Renji glared at his boyfriend. "I **am** being nice!"

"What's yer message Abarai?" Gin demanded, suddenly annoyed with the red head. The last thing Gin needed was Rukia mad at him for beating Renji up.

With a low growl, Renji replied, "She's sorry she didn't make it today. She'll be out for the rest of the week. I'm supposed to keep an eye on you until she's healthy."

"They hell's that s'posed t'mean?" demanded Gin.

"That your girlfriend knows how much trouble you cause when you're bored," Ikkaku answered with a laugh.

"Shut up, Baldy," Gin growled.

"Make me, tough guy."

"I'll make ya all right. Ya don' scare me with yer li'l stick."

"Y'know, I won't stop him from kicking your ass Ichimaru," Renji pointed out.

"Then Rukia'll kick yours," Ichigo spoke up.

"I'd pay to see that," Ikkaku said with a grin.

"I agree. Watching our princess kick your ass would be amusing," agreed Yumichika.

"Your princess?" Gin and Renji both demanded.

Yumichika nodded. "Izuru, Ikkaku, and I all agree that she's the group's princess. Of course, Ran's the group's queen," Yumichika explained.

Rangiku smiled triumphantly. "I'd put my money on her too. I bet even I could take Abarai on and win." She boasted.

Renji growled and Gin flashed him a wicked grin. "It'd be worth fighting Baldy to see Ran and Rukia beat ya ta a bloody pulp," the silver haired teen said casually.

"Crazy bastard," Renji grumbled. Gin flashed Renji a crazy smile and the red head just groaned.

* * *

The days Rukia were out sick passed by agonizingly slow for Gin while the days they spent together passed them by in a happy blur. Thanks to Rukia's influence, Gin caused far less trouble than normal. Rukia, too, benefitted from being around Gin. She was much livelier than anyone had remembered seeing her in a long time. Gradually their relationship began to draw their friends together as well, which thrilled Rukia. It gave the young woman hope, something she had abandoned a long time ago. She found herself laughing more than she used to. Because of Gin there was always a smile on Rukia's face. She was changing into a happier person and everyone was noticing. Especially Rukia's brother.

"Rukia, you have been seeing this boy for several months now. When do you intend to introduce me to him?" Byakuya Kuchiki asked while he and Rukia were eating dinner together one evening.

Rukia choked on the water she had taken a sip of and turned crimson. In the few months she had been dating Gin, Rukia had avoided bringing Gin home with her. While Renji and Ichigo would go along with her demand that they keep her secrets from Gin, she had always been worried that her brother would not.

"Does my opinion no longer count now that you are a teenager?" Byakuya asked.

Rukia stammered, "N-not at all Brother! No, I mean, it does! Of course it still does!" Byakuya just watched her quietly. "He doesn't know I'm sick," she admitted when he didn't reply.

A slight frown formed on Byakuya's face. "Rukia, that is not the kind of secret you keep from a loved one." Rukia lowered her gaze at the pain in his voice. "Hisana would not want you to repeat her mistakes, Rukia. You must tell him," Byakuya continued without giving Rukia the chance to explain herself. She was doing the same thing Hisana had done. Byakuya had not known about Hisana's illness until it had been too late for her.

"I know Brother! If she had told you sooner, you could have helped her like you've helped me!" Rukia exclaimed, feeling both angry and guilty. She was angry because he had no idea how hard it was to tell people you're gravely ill. She was guilty because her actions hurt her brother deeply.

"You are a brave woman, Rukia. You have a strength that Hisana did not," Byakuya told her.

"It doesn't make it any less terrifying to tell the person you love you could die," Rukia said softly. "What if he breaks up with me over it?"

"Then he is undeserving of you."

"If I bring him home," Rukia started, "will you tell him I'm sick?"

"Only if you refuse to tell him yourself," the dark haired man replied.

"I will tell him! I just need time to prepare myself!" Rukia stated.

Byakuya gave a slight nod. "Then I will not reveal to him your secret."

"Thank you, Brother!"

Byakuya just nodded again. He hoped she would do the right thing, especially since her boyfriend had been such a strong influence on her. "Being with this young man has been beneficial to you, Rukia. I have not seen you smile so much since before Hisana's passing. Even Dr. Unohana has noticed a positive change in you," he told his sister after a moment of silence.

"You talked to Dr. Unohana? What did she say? Did the results from my last test come back yet?" Rukia asked anxiously.

"She would like you to go in for more tests. She wants to see how well this medicine is working," answered Byakuya.

Rukia nodded slowly. She hated going to the to the hospital. She hated all the various tests she constantly had to undergo. She always left the hospital feeling weak and completely drained.

"Did she give you a date? So I can ask Renji to get my school work for me ahead of time?" Rukia asked quietly. There was no way to put off going to see Dr. Unohana, especially with Byakuya handling a lot of the scheduling and funding. When his family had found out Rukia had started showing symptoms of the disease that had killed Hisana, the Kuchikis had begun putting their money towards finding a cure as well as paying for all of Rukia's medical expenses. The Kuchiki family would not settle for anything but the best and, legally, Rukia was part of their family. She received the best just like everyone else who bore the Kuchiki name.

"Next week. She would like you there early Wednesday and wants you to remain overnight for observation."

Rukia just nodded again, quietly. She wanted to refuse and force Byakuya to have the date changed. But she knew he would refuse when she told him it was to avoid cancelling another date with Gin. Despite thinking her relationship with Gin was good for her recovery Byakuya would still place doctor's appointments before going to dinner or a movie.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Byakuya asked as though he were reading her mind.

Rukia sighed and replied, "Gin and I were going to a movie that night..."

"I see." Byakuya sat and watched his sister for a moment before continuing. "Then this is a good opportunity for you to tell this young man about your health problems. If he still to court you, you can take your date to the hospital."

Rukia just groaned. There was nothing romantic about the hospital.


	9. The Down Side of Ice Cream

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 9 ~ The Down Side of Ice Cream  
**_**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Here it is! Your weekly dose of GinRuki crack! I need to get back to writing this so I can get it finished before I run out of pre-written chapters! I don't want to take a hiatus from posting this if I don't have to! Of course, now that I've finished watching _Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood_, I think I should get back on track. As long as I can keep my fan girling over Ling Yao to a minimum, of course!

Also, pre-warning, there are a few things in this chapter that might not seem too realistic. The only fitting explanation I can offer you is this - the Kuchikis are so wealthy they can pretty much do whatever they want regardless of the situation!

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers Rukes, Xaila'n'Eli, Nnoitra-Szayel, PunkRockHolly, StarPrincess999, and Mary Akataki!

* * *

"_This is the place in my heart__/__This is the place where I'm falling apart__/__Isn't this just where we met?__  
__And is this the last chance that I'll ever get?__/__I wish I was lonely__/__Instead of just only__  
__Crystal and see-through and not enough to you__/__Cause you don't see me__/__And you don't need me__  
__And you don't love me__/__The way I wish you would" (You Don't See Me, Josie and the Pussycats)_

"You get prettier every time I see you, Miss Kuchiki."

Rukia turned toward her hospital room door and smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Ukitake! How did you know I was here?"

"Retsu told me," the man at the door replied with a kind smile. Rukia went over to him and gave him a friendly hug.

"I'm glad she did. How are you feeling? I didn't see you the last few times I came in," Rukia asked.

"I'm feeling pretty good right now," the man, Juushirou Ukitake, replied as he reached up to ruffle Rukia's hair. Juushirou had known Rukia since the girl had been diagnosed with the same disease that her sister and mother had both died from. When he wasn't in the hospital from his own poor health he was volunteering in the paediatric ward. He loved working with the children at the hospital and was a natural father figure despite never having kids of his own.

"I'm glad to hear that. You look really good," Rukia said as she went back to her bed and motioned for her guest to sit down as well.

Juushirou followed and took a seat next to her. "You look like you're doing very well yourself. I don't think I've seen you look so happy and healthy," he said with a kind smile.

Rukia just blushed and ducked her head sheepishly. "I have the most amazing boyfriend ever. I've had so much fun being with him!"

Juushirou grinned impishly at the embarrassed young woman. "Love and laughter are the best cures for many different ailments."

"I feel better than I ever have since being with him! I've made a lot of new friends, too. High school is actually pretty enjoyable now," Rukia gushed.

"And what does your big brother think?"

"Um... well... I haven't actually brought him home to meet Brother yet. Brother says he approves simply because I'm happy and haven't had a setback in more than a month," explained Rukia.

"But?" Juushirou pressed kindly, but still curious.

"Well... Gin's something of a bad seed... or, well, he was. We met in detention," Rukia said, ducking her head to hide her embarrassed blush. Though it had been an isolated incident, she was still embarrassed about getting detention.

"You got detention? Miss Kuchiki, who knew you were such a rebel?" Juushirou teased, ruffling Rukia's hair endearingly.

"Mr. Ukitake! It's not a good thing!" Rukia exclaimed, scowling slightly at the white haired man. Juushirou just laughed and ruffled her hair again.

"I talked to Retsu and she said if you'd like we can take a walk and get some ice cream," he said casually. Rukia laughed softly. Juushirou Ukitake had a sweet tooth bigger than most children.

"If you would like some company, then sure Mr. Ukitake," she agreed with a smile. There were definite perks to being part of a rich family. Rukia was given more freedom than most patients.

"You are much too kind to me," Juushirou told her, giving her a gentle smile.

"You always were like an uncle to me, Mr. Ukitake. I like spending time with you," Rukia replied, smiling back at him.

"I'm truly honoured by that. Thank you," Juushirou said softly and hugged the young woman. Rukia hugged him back.

* * *

That same evening, Gin was out for a stroll. Before he had started dating Rukia, evening strolls had been part of his usual evening routine. Not only did it get him away from his parents, but it allowed him to people watch as well as cause trouble without any real consequence.

'_Been far too long since I done this last,_' he thought as he walked with his hands shoved in his pants pockets. '_Woulda been better wi' Rukia 'ere,_' he thought with a sigh. He hated that she had cancelled another date without any real explanation. He had to admit to himself that it annoyed him. After dating for as many months as they had been, she could have at least showed that she trusted him. She kept her secrets tightly locked away from him. Ichigo and Renji seemed to be under her thumb as well. When he actually let himself dwell on it, it frustrated him that she didn't completely trust him.

But then, did he share his deepest, darkest secrets with her? No, he never had. He had only ever admitted them to one person and she only knew because she had grown up with Gin.

Would he trade his secrets for hers? He couldn't say. He knew it made him a hypocrite, but no part of being in a relationship was logical or made any real sense. It was all feelings and impulse, something he could not treat like a game. Not if he didn't want to fail at it. Gin Ichimaru failed nothing. Despite being in trouble constantly for his antics, Gin had never failed a single class. Failing school would be too easy and his pride would not let him fail anything on purpose. It was that same pride that refused to let him fail at his relationship, too. If people like Ikkaku Madarame and Renji Abarai could maintain romantic relationships, Gin could too. Especially with a girl as amazing and devious as Rukia Kuchiki.

'_She's jus' as devious as me,_' he thought approvingly. The only difference was Rukia was far more subtle in manipulations while Gin loved the attention. '_Bet we could come up_ _wi' a serious grad prank,_' he thought as he walked absently. Though graduating before her, there was no one Gin would want from his class to help pull a prank of that magnitude. No one had that same subtle skill that Rukia had. No one would suspect her, either. That made her the perfect partner.

The possibilities swam through his head s he came to a stop at a red light. He let his attention briefly return to his surroundings and heard a familiar laugh.

Gin frowned and looked around for the source of the laughter. He felt his blood run cold when he did. His girlfriend sat in front of an ice cream parlour across the street from where he was standing. She was eating ice cream and laughing with an older but still good looking man. Despite the man's white hair, he didn't look old enough to be a grandparent of Rukia's. That and from the things Rukia had said, the Kuchiki elders were far too reserved to go out and have fun like normal people.

Gin wanted to go over there and drag Rukia away from the man. She seemed perfectly healthy to Gin. So logically Gin jumped to the worst case scenario. All at once, everything he had believed in had changed. The cancelled dates; the secret she, Ichigo, and Renji were keeping – they all made much more sense to him. His chest tightened at the thought of Rukia with another man. He prayed he was just seeing and hearing things. Maybe it was just someone who looked like Rukia from the side.

His hopes were shattered when the girl turned and noticed him watching her. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Rukia. She paled visibly when she saw him watching her. Quickly he turned away and walked in a different direction. He could not watch her or talk to her in that moment. He knew he would do something rash if he tried. If she tried calling to him, her cries fell on deaf ears. He would not allow himself to look back. Until he cleared his head, he would avoid her and refuse any explanation she offered.


	10. Yumichika and Rangiku to the Rescue

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 10 ~ Yumichika and Rangiku to the Rescue**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Chapter 10 is here! Only a few more chapters to go! I'm just about to write the last big scene before the end of this story. Isn't that a sad thought? But I'm sure after this I'll another Bleach multi-chapter to work on (Is that a hint I detect in my note? You'll just have to wait and see! ;D)! I am excited, though. I found the absolutely perfect song lyrics for one of the more important chapters of this story and I can't wait to use them!

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers **PunkRockHolly** (Solar-chan has a lot in store for Gin and Rukia, don't worry!), **Xaila'n'Eli** (Oh, yes. Lots of drama is coming!), **Rukes** (Everything will be worked out, I promise!), **StarPrincess999** (That's right, Gin shouldn't be jumping to conclusions! Foolish boy!), **Nnoitra-Szayel** (Obviously Ukitake had to appear somewhere!), and **falconrukichi** (Yeah, Gin doesn't know she's sick yet so he assumes she's cheating!)!

* * *

"_Oh what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect day__/__Just walk away, no use defending words that you will never say_

_And now that I'm sitting here thinking it through__/__I've never been anywhere cold as you" (Cold As You, Taylor Swift)_

Rukia walked the halls of Karakura in a daze. Gin had been avoiding her for a solid week. Any time she tried to get close and explain everything to him he would just turn the other way, his emotions tightly locked behind the smiling mask he wore. The sight of that calm and calculating expression on Gin's face sent a chill down her spine every time she saw it. It was so cold and distant; not at all like the Gin she knew and loved. It was an expression rafted to keep people out and Rukia hated it. She wanted Gin to let her back in; she needed him to. If he didn't let her back in, she felt that she would never be at peace again. The guilt and grief kept her up at night. She had done to Gin the very thing Hisana had done to Byakuya by keeping secrets. Keeping secrets from Gin had hurt him deeply enough to drive him away. She hated herself for what she had done to him.

"You're going to walk into the boys' washroom," a velvety voice purred in her ear. Rukia snapped back to reality just in time to walk into the closed men's room door.

"Careful, Princess. You don't want to taint your sweet little mind," a second voice said. Rukia glanced to each side and found Yumichika and Rangiku standing next to her.

"Th-thank you," the petite girl mumbled.

"What's got you so distracted? Are you still moping about Gin?" Yumichika asked gently and dropped an arm around Rukia's shoulders. He began to guide her away with Rangiku trailing behind them.

"It's... a little more complicated than that," Rukia replied hesitantly.

"Apparently. Gin's been muttering about some white haired geezer," Yumichika said as he led Rukia up to the roof.

Rukia sighed softly and looked up at Yumichika. "Mr. Ukitake is my doctor's boyfriend. He's been like an uncle to me since... since I was diagnosed..." she said, still hesitating. It had been so long since she had admitted she was sick to anyone.

"Diagnosed? What?" Yumichika asked, stunned.

"She's sick, Yumi. It's fatal," Rangiku spoke up softly. Her two dark haired friends turned to look at her in surprise. Rangiku meet Rukia's gaze and held it/ "Ichigo told me," she said.

"You've known this whole time..."

Rangiku nodded. "I still don't like you and Gin together but I couldn't deny a dying girl her chance to be happy. Even if it was at Gin's expense."

"Rangiku... thank you," Rukia said softly.

"Don't thank me yet," Rangiku said, her tone suddenly harsh. Rukia blinked and was about to question Rangiku when Rangiku slapped her. Rukia winced as the sound of Rangiku's palm connecting with her cheek echoed in her ears.

"Ran! What the Hell is wrong with you?" demanded Yumichika as he moved between his two friends.

"You should have told him from the beginning!" Rangiku enarly shouted, her eyes filling with tears. "I knew you were just a selfish girl!"

Rukia's own eyes filled with tears as she stared at Yumichika's back. "I'm sorry. I deserved that. You're right Rangiku. I should have told him. I should have told everyone," Rukia admitted.

"Being the last to know is awful," Rangiku whispered.

"Ran," Yumichika said as he pulled the strawberry haired teen into his arms. Rukia just watched them quietly as she gently cupped her throbbing cheek.

"My dad died five years ago and no one told me what was going on until the very end," Rangiku told Rukia once Yumichika had released her from his embrace.

"I'm sorry," Rukia said sincerely.

"It was hard for and for Gin, My dad was like a father to Gin," Rangiku continued. Rukia nodded solemnly. She understood the point Rangiku was trying to get across.

"We will get him to see you, right Ran?" Yumichika said.

Rangiku nodded. "It's better if he knows the truth."

"We'll take care of the small details, okay? All you need to do is show up at Rangiku's place around seven," Yumichika instructed.

"Why my place? My family might be home," protested Rangiku.

"Because Gin is more likely to seek you out for comfort," answered Yumichika.

Rangiku just sighed softly. "Fine. But you better drag him there by force if he refuses to come over."

"Of course. I'm sure Renji and Ichigo will help," Yumichika agreed.

"In that case, I'll just bring Rukia home with me and pretty her up a bit," Rangiku said, grinning devilishly at Rukia.

"And I'll try not to rough Gin up too much."

Rangiku nodded. "I'll text you if he doesn't agree to come over. Only then do you get to use force."

"See you then!" Yumichika said with an equally devilish grin, He hugged both girls quickly before leaving them alone on the roof.

"Rangiku, why did you keep my secret?" Rukia asked after the stairwell door slammed shut behind Yumichika.

"He probably would have accused me of trying to break you two up," Rangiku replied quietly.

"It was never my intention to come between you and Gin, Rangiku," Rukia said softly. Rangiku just nodded and set her hand on Rukia's shoulder. "Looks like you're getting your wish, though. I don't think Gin will take me back even after I tell him the truth," the smaller girl continued.

"You know, you are pretty good for him," Rangiku admitted, looking away from Rukia. "And I guess there are worse girls out there for Gin."

"It's good to know I'm leaving him in good hands," Rukia told Rangiku. The two young women grinned at one another. "After I talk to Gin, would it be possible for us to start over? And maybe not get into a cat fight?" Rukia asked earnestly.

"I don't know... the other guys think we're hotter when we argue," teased Rangiku.

"You're awful!" groaned Rukia.

Rangiku laughed. "It's all part of my undeniable charm!"

"Sure it is, Ran."

"See? Even you can't deny it Ruki!"

Rukia just shook her head. "Hopeless," she said with a teasing smile.

"C'mon. We should get to class before Yumi sends a search party to make sure I didn't kill you," Rangiku said and began to pull Rukia to the roof's exit. Rukia nodded in agreement and went along with her busty friend.


	11. Truth

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 11 ~ Truth**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Aaaah. Chapter 11! The long awaited meeting between Gin and Rukia! Hope y'all enjoy it!

Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers Xaila'n'Eli (I am actually contemplating a sequel now!), ZareenBlack (Hope it's still exciting to you after this!), StarPrincess999, InFieryPeace (I can't imagine Ran staying mad at anyone for very long!), PunkRockHolly, and falconrukichi!

* * *

"_You don't have to call anymore__/__I won't pick up the phone__/__This is the last straw__  
__Don't wanna hurt anymore__/__And you can tell me that you're sorry__/__But I don't believe you baby__  
__Like I did before__/__You're not sorry, no no ohhh" ("You're Not Sorry", Taylor Swift)_

Gin frowned as he stood in Rangiku's living room. He had been expecting Rangiku to come and join him. So when Rukia came down the stairs instead, his eyes began to wander to the front door. Rangiku was the last person he expected to set him up. She was also the last person he expected to give Rukia a makeover, but it appeared to Gin that she had done just that. He could not deny how good – and girly – Rukia looked despite his being mad at her. He tried to clear his face of all emotion before Rukia noticed that he was blushing faintly at the sight of her.

"We need to talk," the dark haired young woman said, her voice soft but nervous.

"So talk."

Rukia frowned at Gin's indifference. "What you think you saw, you didn't."

Gin raised an eyebrow. "Ain't like my eyes don' work fine. Jus' 'cause I look like this," he said and motioned to his face, "don' mean I can't see ya wi' another man."

"Yes, I was with another guy, having a good time but he's like family to me. An uncle I never had!" Rukia exclaimed, annoyed with Gin.

"Sure," Gin said with a shrug.

"Damn it Gin! Stop acting like that and listen to me!" Rukia snapped. She balled her hands into fists but kept them at her sides. After Rangiku had been so nice to her, the last thing Rukia wanted to do was destroy Rangiku's home by fighting Gin.

"Ya lied t'me an' cancelled our date for another guy. Ain't nothin' ta explain," Gin said, his tone as emotionless as his expression.

Rukia just growled. "He's my doctor's boyfriend and he took me out for ice cream after I spent hours getting various medical tests done!" she nearly screamed. Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Uh huh..."

Rukia just blinked away her tears and grimaced. It was now or never. She had to tell Gin the truth, especially if she wanted a normal conversation with him.

"Gin, I'm dying," Rukia said, her tone serious.

Gin just blinked. She couldn't be as serious as she sounded. It had to be some kind of ploy to end their fight. "That's not funny. If ya wanna dump me, jus' do it already," he said, fury lacing his melodious voice.

Rukia's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that he was getting angry with her. Especially when it should be the other way around! "If anyone here should be angry, it should be me! I was resigned to my fate before you interfered!" she snapped. Gin's carefully constructed mask remained on his face, blocking all traces of his feelings from escaping. "You waltzed into my life and made me hopeful; made me want to live when it's not an option anymore!"

"Ya don' look like yer about t'die," Gin pointed out, brushing off her outburst.

Rukia flushed and looked at her feet. His words were true. She looked down right healthy. '_Well, only with all this make-up,_' she thought. Before Rangiku had worked her magic, Rukia had looked like a zombie – pale skin with black rings around her eyes. Hisana had looked healthy until the weeks before her death, though. In the end, it had seemed so quick, so painless.

"You don't have any idea what I'm going to go through. Not all dying people look the same!" she spat, struggling to calm herself down.

"If ya jus' wanna play games wi' me then I'm gone Rukia," Gin finally snapped His well formed mask shattered to reveal all his pain, his confusion, his anger.

"Gin! No! I'm trying to explain!" Rukia cried, the full force of his newly revealed emotions hitting her like a ton of bricks.

"The Rukia I knew wouldn'ta hid somethin' so important! The Rukia I liked was a classy kinda troublemaker!" Gin growled, not bothering to hide his emotions now that they had been revealed.

"Gin please!" Rukia begged, her tears starting to roll down her flushed cheeks.

"Ran was tellin' the truth about ya! Yer no good fer me," Gin said in the harshest tone he could muster. He had to force himself to remain angry at the sight of her falling tears. Seeing the tiny drops fall down her cheeks made his heart ache but his wounded pride won against his aching heart. She had lied to him on many occasions and he was hurt enough to lash out at her continuously.

"You don't believe that anymore than I do!" Rukia sobbed. She took a step towards him and reached out to him, trying to take one of his hands. Instead, Gin just swatted her hand away. "Don't push me away! Please!" she begged.

"Too late. Yer not the person I wanna be with anymore," Gin told her, his voice oddly gentle and almost sad.

The lack of anger in his words sent a chill down Rukia's back. They sounded much too final that way. She began to sob harder, covering ehr face in her hands to hide her tears from him.

Gin looked away from her as he moved towards the front door, moving around Rukia as he did so. He needed to leave before he caved and changed his mind. He was far too proud to just take her back after everything he had just told her. "Goodbye, Rukia," he said as he opened Rangiku's door.

"Gin, please. I love you!"

Gin went still for a few seconds before opening the door and waking out without another word.

As the door clicked shut, Rukia's entire body shook as she let out a pained sob. She sank to her knees in the middle of Rangiku's living room. She curled up on the floor and cried her heart out. She barely noticed Rangiku rushing down the stairs and over to her as she did so. Nor did she care. She wanted to die in that moment. If she had to live without Gin then there was no point in living. A life without love, to Rukia, was empty and meaningless. If she lived, it would be as a hollow and incomplete being. There would never be another person like Gin in her life.

Rangiku frowned at the sobbing mess of a girl on her floor before pulling her into a tight hug. "Just give him time. He'll cool down and come to his senses," she whispered into Rukia's ear and began to stroke her jet black hair.

Rukia's sobs began to quiet but she showed no other signs that she was aware if Rangiku's presence. She wanted to block everything out at that moment. With a sot whimper, she closed her eyes and tried to make herself fall into the dark oblivion of sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself starring at a vaguely familiar ceiling. Blinking, she sat up and looked around her. '_How did I get to Renji's room?_' she wondered as she took in the comforting sight of her closest friend's bedroom. The last thing she remembered clearly was being in Rangiku's home and arguing with Gin. Everything after that was fuzzy.

"You're up!"

Rukia's gaze shifted to the doorway. "Ichigo?" she said softly. "How did I get here?"

"My dad drove you here. Karin and Yuzu were hanging out at Rangiku's last night when you passed out," the spiky haired teen said as he approached her. His younger twin sisters often hung out with Rangiku's step-brother. "Rangiku had no idea they were there, but it's a good thing they were. You gave her a good scare."

"Why didn't you bring me home?"

Ichigo sat on the edge of the bed. "We didn't want Byakuya forcing you to go to the hospital again. You deserve to spend the rest of your time with us and at school like a normal girl," he said softly.

Rukia gave her friend a puzzled look. "What are you talking about Ichigo? The rest of my time?"

Ichigo gave Rukia a stern look. "You can't pull one over on me this time, Rukia. My dad called Unohana for your medical history when he saw you last night. I can't believe you've had her lying to Byakuya for you!"

Rukia paled visibly and Ichigo began to scowl. "Don't... don't be stupid! Why would my doctor lie to the person paying for my care?" she stammered.

Ichigo's look darkened. "Damn it, Rukia! I know you stopped responding to the treatments and medications! Unohana told my dad everything after she found out about you passing out!" he growled in frustration.

"You don't know what it's like! The fear that every day might be your last!" Rukia cried, glaring at Ichigo.

"Like hell I don't! No person alive is guaranteed that! All life is fragile, Rukia, and can be lost at any moment!" Ichigo told her, sounding like the son of a doctor. "The only difference is the rest of us have chosen to live. You've given up already!"

"My immune system is pretty much shot, Ichigo. My vital organs are beginning to shut down," Rukia told him, her voice barely above a whisper. "There is no hope for me. Not even a miracle could save me now."

Instead of arguing further, Ichigo just pulled Rukia into a tight hug, his body shaking slightly.

"You and Renji and Byakuya all spend too much time worrying about my health as it is. You need to focus on your own lives a little more," Rukia said softly as she let her friend hold her. "It's okay. Today I feel fine," she added before placing a kiss on Ichigo's forehead. She felt Ichigo's hold on her tighten for a few moments before he let her go.

"Everyone's waiting for us downstairs. You should change and come join us," Ichigo told her.

"Everyone?" Rukia asked. She hadn't expected anyone to be there aside from Ichigo and Renji

"Yeah. Everyone. Oh and Yuzu made me bring you that sundress of hers that you like so much," Ichigo said and motioned to Renji's desk, where the dress sat folded.

"Really? I love Yuzu!" Rukia exclaimed, excited.

"It's sad that you're the same size as my twelve-year-old sister," Ichigo stated.

"Hey!"

"Midget!"

"Shut up Strawberry Head!" Rukia shouted as she threw a pillow at Ichigo. The orange haired teen caught it and threw it back at her with a laugh.

"Just get dressed, Squirt!" he taunted and quickly shut the door before Rukia could throw something else at him.

Rukia scowled but quickly removed her wrinkled clothes and slipped the sundress on. She left Renji's room and made a quick stop in his bathroom to borrow his hair brush and to wash her face. She wished for the chance to take a real shower and a toothbrush, but she knew she had to make do without them for a little while. Once she saw everyone, she could call her brother to come pick her up. She quickly checked her reflection one last time before making her way down to Renji's kitchen, the room everyone had gathered in.

"Rukia! I'm sorry my plan backfired!"Yumichika exclaimed when he saw her step into the room. Rukia blinked as she looked at him. His eyes looked puffy, as though he had been crying. "I had no idea you would end up passing out!"

"That's not your fault at all, Yumichika. I should have been taking better care if myself," the young woman answered. She felt guilty for upsetting so many of the people she cared about. She looked around at her friends, all of whom looked serious and sombre. She then glanced over at Ichigo, curious.

"They all know everything. No more secrets," Ichigo confirmed her suspicions.

"Okay," Rukia said with a nod. She felt uncomfortable being in a room full of people who knew she was dying. She didn't like being the centre of attention. That was part of the reason she had down played her illness.

For a while, no one in the room spoke. No one knew what to say. It had been agreed upon that Gin was a topic that was off limits around Rukia. The only other thing on their minds, though, was Rukia's condition but no one wanted to be the first person to bring it up.

Finally Rangiku broke the silence, taking the superficial route. "That dress is is so cute on you Ruki!" she gushed.

"That's because it's a kid's dress. My twelve-year-old sister's dress," Ichigo spoke up, smirking at Rukia.

"It's not my fault I'm tiny!" exclaimed a blushing Rukia. She glowered at Ichigo while he laughed at her.

"You look adorable regardless, Ruki! He's just jealous he can't look as beautiful!" Yumichika told Rukia, glaring at Ichigo as well.

"Shut up, ya fairy queen," groaned Ichigo.

Yumichika raised an eyebrow at Ichigo. "You're one to talk."

"I don't wear glitter!" Ichigo retorted, blushing faintly.

"But you're still the uke in your relationship," Yumichika said matter-of-factly and watched as Ichigo's face turned redder.

"Hardly! And for the record, I'm bi," Ichigo stated gruffly.

"You know you're the bitch in this relationship, Ichi. Just accept it," Renji said smugly. He liked being the man in the relationship.

"Just because you're bi doesn't mean you aren't the one wearing the dress," Ikkaku added.

"Yeah Strawberry Head! You're my bitch too!" Rukia added, grinning at Ichigo.

"I am not, Midget!"

"Don't call me a midget, princess!"

"You're so unfeminine!"

"Everyone is compared to you!"

The others watched with amusement while Renji sighed and shook his head. "You guys sound like an old married couple," he said only to have them both turn on him.

"Shut up, Pineapple Head!" Ichigo and Rukia yelled in unison.

"Pineapple Head! That's priceless!" Rangiku exclaimed and howled with laughter.

"You should see the shirt they bought him," Uryuu Ishida, one of Rukia's good friends, told her.

"Oh yeah?" Rangiku asked.

"It has a pineapple on the front and says 'Red Pineapple' on it," Uryuu told her.

Rangiku began laughing again and pointed at Renji. "It's so true! Just look at his hair!"

"I'd rather be known as a pineapple than the goddess of boobs!" grumbled Renji.

"Pffft. Not me. And it's 'Boobie Goddess'! Get it right Mr. Pineapple Head!" Rangiku scoffed.

"Whatever!" Renji almost snarled.

"They call you that too?" Orihime Inoue, Uryuu's girlfriend and perhaps Rukia's closest girl friend, spoke up.

"So Keigo calls are the girls that, huh?" Rangiku replied, glaring over at Keigo.

"Just the sex ones!" Keigo exclaimed quickly.

"H was calling Ms. Shihouin that the other day too!" Izuru added, sounding slightly mischievous. Everyone turned to look at the usually gloomy looking blond.

"I think I have more respect for you now Emo Boy," Renji said with a smirk.

Izuru blushed faintly. "Uh... thank you, Mr. Pineapple Head?" he said uncertainly.

"Son of a... look what you started Ichi!" groaned Renji.

Rukia leaned against a wall and watched all her closest friends laugh and enjoy themselves. She was proud of herself for having helped bring them all together.

"You really are a good princess, Rukia. You did all of this," came a voice from beside Rukia. She turned her head to look at the person whose words echoed her very thoughts and found herself smiling at Mizuiro Kojima, one of the quieter friends she had.

"Thank you, Mizuiro. I'm glad you're here too," she said softly.

"Of course. You welcomed me and Keigo into your little inner circle when no one else would. Being here for you is the least we could do," Mizuiro told her, smiling back at her. The two of them stood side by side in amiable silence for a while longer before Rukia was drawn back into the thick of things.

"Ruki! You should come shopping with me and Hime tomorrow! We'd have such a blast, just us girls!" Rangiku exclaimed glomping onto Orihime as she spoke to Rukia.

The tiny dark haired girl laughed. "That does sound fun! A girls' day might be just what I need," she agreed.

"Yay! I promise we'll find you some cute clothes too!" Orihime gushed happily.

"It'll be like old times, won't it?" Rukia said to Orihime, who nodded happily. Though they saw each other at school every day, Rukia felt bad that she hadn't hung out with Orihime outside of school in quite some time. '_I'll change that. I'll start spending more time with everyone,_' she vowed to herself. She would live the best she could.

"And I know this great café where we can stop for lunch! You'll love it!" Rangiku added.

"We should all go to the beach now that the weather is warm," Izuru spoke up once more.

"Yeah! That's a great idea! We can get Tatsuki and the other girls to come too!" agreed Keigo, a huge grin forming on his face.

"You're thinking perverted things again, aren't you Asano?" spoke up the only person in the room who had seemed to overlooked – Yasutora Sado, the group's gentle giant. Though he loomed over everyone else, he was quieter than even Izuru and Mizuiro. It was sometimes easy to overlook him as a result. But he made Rukia's motley crew complete.

"Dude, Chad spoke!" Keigo exclaimed. For some reason, Ichigo and Keigo insisted on calling the giant teen "Chad". No one remembered the reason why but the name had stuck.

"You realize he called you a dirty little perv, right?" Ikkaku told Keigo.

"You can't honestly say you don't want to see Rangiku and Orihime in their cute itty bitty bikinis!" Keigo retorted.

"That's my girlfriend you're talking about," Uryuu spoke calmly but through clenched teeth.

"All the more reason for you to be psyched about a beach trip!"  
"Leave Orihime out of your perverted fantasies. I will not warn you again," Uryuu stated, his glasses glinting almost dangerously as he looked at Keigo.

"What're you going to do if I don't? Knit me some socks?" Keigo taunted.

"Shut up, Keigo," Renji said finally, cutting Uryuu off. "Everyone knows he doesn't knit! He sews capes!"

"Clever Renji," muttered Uryuu.

"Yeah, I am pretty clever! Thanks Uryuu!" Renji said with a grin. The others just laughed along with the teasing.

As her friends continued to laugh and joke around with one another, Rukia quietly made her way out of the room. Her head had begun to throb from all the noise and she needed a minute away from the others to stop it. She made her way down the tiny hallway that connected the kitchen to the living room slowly. With the painful throbbing came a wave of dizziness. The last thing Rukia needed was to fall over from moving too fast. '_Renji'd never let me live that down,_' she thought as she took another careful step towards the living room.

About half way down the hall Rukia reached out to steady herself, grabbing hold of a small side table. The table tipped with the sudden addition of Rukia's weight, toppling over with her, the items on top of the table crashing to the ground around Rukia's still body.

The sounds of frantic shouting and thundering footsteps coming from the kitchen echoed in the hall way as Rukia drifted into unconsciousness. By the time the first of her friends reached her, she was completely gone.


	12. Male Bonding

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 12 ~ Male Bonding**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** So, this is completely and unexpectedly late! Sorry guys! Thursday was a long work day, followed by getting a new washer and dryer, followed by the season premier of Fringe, and then followed by going to bed for another long work day yesterday. I am full of fail.

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers Meen, Xaila'n'Eli, ZareenBlack, StarPrincess999, and Winxcat93!

* * *

"_Shaded by the trees, calling out to the wind, I'm lying face-down crying/I saw a version of myself I didn't even recognize_

_On this guitar I'm playing the melody of someone who's passed on/A star falls in the grief of someone who'll never be seen again" (Akatsuki no Kuruma, FictionJunction YUUKA)_

Gin made his to the front door of his home. He'd been in his room reading when the doorbell had been rung. He had just reached the bottom step when the bell rang again.

"Hold yer horses, I'm comin'!" he called loudly as he took his time getting to the door. He figured it was Rangiku coming to yell at him for the previous night's events. H didn't really want to talk to her or get yelled at, so he decided taking his time was the best course of action. It would give Rangiku some extra time to cool down before Gin sent her home.

"Whatcha want... Abarai?" Gin said as he opened his front door. The wrong red head was standing on his porch. Gin frowned slightly. "Well yer not Ran. Ya here t' kick my ass or somethin'?" the silver haired teen questioned.

"Now isn't a good time, Gin," Renji said, his voice hoarse.

Gin squinted at Renji through his mostly closed eyes. He thought he saw faint tear tracks running down the red head's pale cheeks. "Then yer here fer a social call? Ya ain't th' person I wanna spend my Saturday with, sadly! Why don'cha go back t' yer li'l mistress like a good puppy?" Gin continued on, being as abrasive as possible.

Renji moved to grab Gin by his shirt collar but stopped and clenched his fist instead. Gin gave him a puzzled look as Reni's hand fell lifelessly back to his side. "I came to bring you to the hospital with me."

"Eh?" Gin's eyes widened in surprise, revealing his rarely seen ice blue eyes.

Renji looked startled for a moment but closed his eyes and nodded. "Rukia collapsed this morning. She's going to be confined to the hospital until the end," Renji said grimly. He opened his eyes, revealing his tears to Gin. "I won't let her die without seeing you one last time, even if you don't deserve it," the red head added.

"Yer serious?" Gin asked, his shock plain as day on his face.

"Didn't Rukia tell you last night?" Renji asked. He watched Gin silently for a while before growling. "So you really didn't believe her?"

Before Gin could speak up and defend himself, Renji had a fistful of Gin's shirt and was shaking him violently. "Damn it, let go Abarai!" Gin exclaimed.

"What the Hell kind of man are you? Do you completely lack a heart, jack ass? Why would anyone lie about dying?" Renji shouted and continued to shake Gin. Renji was furious with the silver haired teen. He wanted nothing more than to be able to beat Gin until he was a bloody pulp.

"She shoulda told me from th' beginnin'! Yer not the one she lied ta!" Gin snapped.

"You think she wasn't hiding things from me too?" Renji snapped back, releasing Gin "She was lying to all of us about this Gin! I thought I'd get at least another year with her! I thought I'd get to see her graduate..." Renji continued, his voice cracking slightly. He could not go on without getting emotional. "Now... we're lucky to have a week left..."

"Barely a week?" Gin said, unsure that he had heard Renji correctly. It couldn't be true. His ears had to be deceiving him. Rukia had looked so healthy the previous night.

Renji nodded gravely. "She didn't tell that brother of hers how bad things were... God, she's an idiot!" Renji exclaimed and pounded his fist against the door frame.

"Ya should come in b'fore the neighbours start gettin' curious 'bout ya," Gin said as he stepped back to give Renji space to enter his home. Renji followed with a grunt. He didn't care about causing a scene on the porch or what Gin's neighbours thought, but he wanted to try to get through his meeting with Gin as civilly as he could. If he had to get physical with Gin again, he was sure he'd end up hospitalizing the silver haired teen.

Renji took a seat on the couch and looked around. "Not what I expected," he murmured.

Gin shrugged. "Ain't like I had a say in things. Was my ma's doin'."

"Obviously," Renji muttered.

"Yer disappointed it ain't creepy like me. Can see it plain as day on yer face, Abarai," Gin pointed out as he dropped down into an arm chair across the room from Renji. "My room is practically empty for the record," he added.

"I don't care about your house or your room or anything. I cmae about making sure you don't upset Rukia again!" Renji barked, annoyed. The last thing the red head wanted to do was discuss any kind of home decor with Gin. Or with anyone.

Gin raised an eyebrow at Renji. "What makes ya think I even wanna go wi' ya? Ain't wanted there by anyone, Rukia included." He knew his friends had sided with Rukia if Rangiku had. '_Fine by me. Who needs'em anyway?_' he thought with a shrug. He would do just fine without them. He was graduating and going off to college soon. He had planned to leave them behind from the start. As far as Gin was concerned, they were just a way to pass the time in the end. Just toys in the game of life. If it was easy for them to leave him, then it would be easy for him to leave them.

"You're a bigger idiot than Rukia, you know that?" Renji told him and folded his arms over his chest. "She's so in love with you she worried herself into the hospital."

"Yer sayin' it's my fault she's only got days t' live?" Gin almost shouted, outraged.

"If you hadn't got her so worked up she probably wouldn't have fainted," Renji said calmly. Gin just growled softly and glared at Renji. Though the red head's words made sense, Gin would never admit it. "And don't think you can deny it to me. You know it's true," added Renji when Gin kept quiet. Surely Gin wasn't cold hearted enough to not to not see that Rukia had been calling out for his help, for his forgiveness, for his love.

"All you had to do was sit and talk to her, Gin. All she wanted was to let you in," Renji said softly, giving Gin a sad look.

"C'mon Abarai, don' gimme that look. I ain't done ya wrong," Gin said, looking away from Renji.

"Close enough," Renji said softly. "Rukia's the sister I never got. I'll be lost without her."

"Damn it, Abarai! Yer makin' me feel weird! Ain't right fer ya t' be cryin' t' me," Gin said with an awkward sigh. The last thing Gin wanted was Abarai making him feel guilty. He already felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest thanks to his meeting with Rukia the previous night. He had wanted so badly to go back to her. "Ya think I don' already feel awful? Ya think I wanted it ta end like this? I don' need ya makin' me feel any more guilty!" he nearly snapped and swiped at his eyes.

Renji looked startled. If he didn't know any better, he'd have sworn he saw a tear escape Gin's eyes.

"I was stupid an' wanted'er ta hurt like I was hurtin'! I hate yself fer it, but it's th' truth!" Gin said, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked over at Renji and let a few more tears slip free.

Renji just nodded sympathetically. He could not say much against Gin. Renji was sure he would do the same thing in the same situation. The red head's temper was pretty volatile when he felt he had been wronged. "You should come see her. She's more than willing to forgive you if you forgive her," Renji said, his voice rough. He didn't want to come off as too soft.

Gin nodded slowly. "Ya tell anyone ya saw me cry an' I'll make yer life Hell, Abarai," he said, stopping his tears quickly.

"Same goes for you, Ichimaru," replied Renji, smirking slightly at Gin.

"Ha," scoffed Gin as he stood up. "Ya can't hold a candle t' me, ya know!"

Renji's smirk widened. "There's the Ichimaru I know and want to beat into a pulp!" Gin just rolled his eyes and sauntered over to the front door. "Jack ass," Renji muttered and followed Gin out of the house.


	13. Rukia's Story

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 13 ~ Rukia's Story**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Posting on time today! Ha! Bet y'all thought I forgot again, right? We-ell, nope! Figured I ought to post before _Fringe_ distracts me! Mmm Josh Jackson... I mean... yeah, that's exactly what I mean! Hahahaha. I'm so random!

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers PunkRockHolly (I could see Rukia breaking down under the right circumstances. More so for Ichigo than anyone, but since it's not IchiRuki... lol And don't kill me for over using "the sivler haired teen"! Please?), falconrukichi (Your questions do get some sort of answer here!), StarPrincess999 (Renji is totally manly. It's hot! LOL!), and Ikaru Sentinal (Yeah, the freedom of AU to explore the unseen sides of characters is a great thing!)!

* * *

"_I'm falling apart__/__I'm barely breathing__/__With a broken heart__  
__That's still beating__/__In the pain__/__There is healing_

_In your name__/__I find meaning__/__So I'm holding on/I'm barely holding on to you" _(Broken, Lifehouse)

Renji and Gin approached Rukia's hospital room together quietly. They had spent the trip to the hospital in awkward silence, neither one knowing what else to say to the other. Neither one wanted to bring up Rukia's failing health again. The last thing either of them wanted to do was face Rukia with tears falling freely down their cheeks. Showing up to see her looking upset would only upset her and, in the long run, that would make her worse.

"She ain't hooked up ta a million machines, is she?" Gin asked suddenly, softly.

"Not a million, but the standard ones. She's weak and when I came to get you, she was asleep," Renji replied without looking at Gin. The silver haired teen just nodded. "The doctor and Kuchiki were talking about it, but half the things they said made no sense to me at all. Too many medical terms," the red head added.

"Doc's tend t' do that, Abarai," Gin said, teasing Renji.

"Shaddup," grumbled Renji.

"Ya said she had days t' live Renji. Usually implies she's on things like life support an' breathin' machines," Gin pointed out, trying to hide the annoyance that was bubbling up inside of him.

"Well, yeah, she could have a few days... or she could have weeks. That's what I gathered, anyway. Her immune system is shot and her body is starting to shut down on her," Renji said slowly.

"So... she should be livin' in a bubble?" Gin asked, his face and tone deadly serious. The corner of Renji's mouth twitched and Gin could see the red head was trying hard not to laugh or smile at his comment.

"Sure. Make jokes like the ass you are," was all Renji said.

"Yer th' one gettin' all upset 'cause ya don' understand big words," retorted Gin.

Renji reached over and smacked Gin upside the head, scowling. "I'm not stupid, Ichimaru, Don't talk to me like I am."

"Whatever," Gin muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Just don't be a dick around Kuchiki or he won't let you in Rukia's room," Renji warned.

Gin just shrugged and followed Renji down the hall. They stopped in front of a closed door and Renji knocked. The door opened and Gin found himself looking at a dark haired man shorter than himself. Judging by the worried look on the man's face, Gin could only assume he was Rukia's brother or a doctor. The way the man was eyeing him made Gin certain the man was the older brother.

"Is this him?" asked Byakuya.

"Yeah," Renji replied.

Byakuya continued to eye Gin with a look of pure dislike. He did not trust the teen, especially after having forced the entire story out of Renji. Despite making Rukia happy, the silver haired teen had also pushed Rukia to her limits. He'd done as much damage as he had done good where Rukia was concerned. He thought it was foolish to let Gin anywhere near Rukia and if he'd had his way the silver haired teen would not be there. However, Renji had won the argument about Gin. The red haired teen had been adamant that Rukia would want to see Gin and as much as he had hated to admit it, Byakuya knew Renji was right. When Rukia woke up again, she would surely ask for Renji and for Gin, the two men she loved just as much as, if not more than, Byakuya. '_She's known that Abarai punk her entire life after all,_' he thought and tore his gaze away from Gin to look at Renji.

"Ya must be Rukia's brother," Gin said once he had recovered from the intensity of Byakuya's gaze.

"That is correct. I am Byakuya Kuchiki," Byakuya replied.

Gin extended his hand to Byakuya. "I'm Gin Ichimaru, Rukia's boyfriend."

Byakuya looked down at Gin's hand then up at his smiling face with a raised eyebrow. "I believe you mean ex-boyfriend," the older man said.

"All jus' a giant misunderstandin'," Gin replied.

Byakuya just turned away from Gin and began to speak to Renji. "You will be held responsible should his presence prove detrimental to Rukia's health."

Renji just stayed quiet and met Byakuya's gaze. There was no way he would back down to Byakuya. Especially when Renji knew he was right about Gin being just what Rukia needed.

When Renji refused to stand down, Byakuya's eye twitched slightly. He quickly turned away from both Renji and Gin and walked away without another word to either of them. He had nothing else to say on the subject and had his injured pride to attend to. Being wrong about anything was enough to make Byakuya annoyed but being wrong about Rukia's needs made things worse. He had cared for her most of her life and had been certain he had known how to give her exactly what she needed. In the end, he believed he had failed. With that thought in mind, the last thing Byakuya needed was to remain in the presence of the ones who had proved him to be a failure.

"Good riddance," Renji muttered under his breath. Byakuya had always been his rival when it came to taking care of Rukia. While Renji admired Byakuya for his unwavering dedication to Rukia, Renji was also jealous of how close Rukia and Byakuya were. Hearing Rukia's constant praise of Byakuya drove Renji insane.

"he ain't yer biggest fan, is he?" Gin asked.

"He likes me about as much as I like him. Besides, he hates you more than me," was Renji's response.

Gin just gave an uncaring shrug. "I ain't datin' him. His opinion ain't too important t' me."

"But he means the world to Rukia, so try to stay on his good side," advised Renji.

"Sure, sure," Gin said with a wave of his hand.

Renji just sighed and pushed Gin towards the open door of Rukia's room. "Just get your ass in there and make up with her already. You know being at odds with her is killing you."

Gin stumbled into the dim room. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness the door was shut behind him. Gin straightened up to his full height before moving to Rukia's bed side. He sat down in a chair he assumed had been left at the bedside by Byakuya and reached out for Rukia's hand. He had no idea what to say to her. There were no words that could erase the things he had said to her. The pain he had caused was unforgivable.

"I ain't sure what Abarai expects me t' say t' ya," he said softly as he looked at his feet. "Ain't very good wi' sayin' sorry or g'bye or any such thin'."

"Just say sorry and that all is forgiven..."

Gin looked up at the sound of Rukia's soft, sleepy voice. "Gone an' woke ya up, huh?" he said with a faint smile.

Rukia shook her head and sat up a bit. "I wasn't quite asleep. Brother and I were talking a bit. He said Renji was going to bring you by," she replied.

"Charmin' fella, yer brother," Gin said sarcastically.

Rukia scowled faintly. "Be nice or I won't forgive you," she threatened.

"I'm bein' nice, Princess," Gin replied, grinning at Rukia. The dark haired girl just chuckled softly.

"I'm sorry. I should have been honest with you from the beginning," Rukia whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

"Ya shoulda been, wi' everyone. I fergive ya an' they forgive ya. Had t' be scary though, livin' wi' such a secret," Gin told her, squeezing her hand firmly.

Rukia just nodded slowly. Gin was right, of course. She should have swallowed her pride and faced her fear instead she had been a stubborn fool. "I didn't want pity. And I didn't want to be coddled like an infant," she said.

"Ya know we wouldn'ta done such a thing," Gin told her.

"That's a life. My brother would have confined me to the house my entire life if he could have," Rukia told Gin.

"No offence, but yer brother has a stick up his ass," muttered Gin.

"My brother is more like you than you know!" Rukia snapped.

"Ya sure 'bout that Princess?" Gin questioned disbelievingly.

"You don't know him. You don't know what we went through," Rukia just grumbled.

"Care ta enlighten me?"

Rukia glared at Gin and gave a slow nod. "I'm sure that idiot Renji would have told you eventually but I was born Rukia Kanasawa. I was the youngest daughter, born twelve years after my older sister Hisana. My mother died the day I was born, leaving Hisana to fill her role in my life. She was very kind and loving and smart. Hisana was my best friend. We did everything together. I even got to go along on a few of her dates when our father was working though I only remember and really knew one of the boys she dated.

"That boy was the nicest person Hisana had ever brought to visit. He always brought me presets when he did, so maybe that's why I decided he was so great. Or maybe because he was the only person who ever put a smile on Hisana's face. I don't know. All I do know is that even at sixteen, Byakuya Kuchiki loved Hisana deeply. When our father died the following year, Byakuya's family took us in. We lived with the Kuchikis until Hisana and Byakuya finished high school. The three of us moved into our own home after that and shortly after that, Byakuya married Hisana. We were a happy little family.

"But then things began to change with Hisana. She began to keep secrets from Brother and from me. She grew colder, distant. Brother was so distraught he began to suspect the worst. He truly believed that Hisana was going to leave him without telling him. I'm not sure if he thought she was being unfaithful, but he was acting just as cold to mask his despair. They kept on like that for a couple of months until Brother and I came home one day and found Hisana passed out in the kitchen. It was then we found out Hisana was dying. She was in the same boat I am. There were no known treatments that worked on her. Her health had been failing her since her wedding the year before.

"I was only ten when Hisana had passed away. It was the second time in my life that someone I loved deeply had died. I was devastated. I wouldn't even talk to Renji or Brother. I spent days locked in my room, sobbing. I knew I would probably get sick and die, too. Nothing anyone said or did could change that fact. I was also too stubborn to listen to any of them. Nothing mattered if Hisana wasn't there to love me and talk to me. My sister had been the closest thing to a mother I had ever had. I was lost without Hisana. And I was an orphan. I had no idea if I had any relatives from my parents. Hisana had never mentioned them. And if we did, wouldn't we have lived with them instead of the Kuchiki family?

"Byakuya once again came through for me. He claimed me like you would claim a lost kitten. He had helped raise me for five years already. He said it would be easier for everyone if he continued to do so. After Brother put his foot down, I was officially and legally adopted by his parents. They've been the only family I've ever really known since I was five, anyway. I love them despite their quirks and arrogance. Besides, if it weren't for being a Kuchiki, I might never have met you or anyone else."

Rukia finished talking and looked over at Gin to see his reaction. Of course, his mask was back in place. Not a trace of emotion could be seen. Rukia sighed softly. "Gin..."

Gin held up a hand to silence her. "I'm sorry fer yer losses. No wonder Ran started bein' nice t'ya. She lost her father too."

Rukia nodded. "She told me."

"Hated my own folks growin' up. Practically lived wi' th' Matsumotos until Kenji died. Hit me an' Ran pretty hard... made me start treatin' my folks better," Gin told her.

Rukia nodded again. "Death does that. Makes you stop taking people for granted."

Gin nodded and took one of Rukia's hands in his own. "Until we ferget life ever lastin' an' we do stupid things."

"Idiots in love," Rukia said.

Gin blinked at her. "Eh?"

"Brother used to say that all the time about Ichigo and Renji. They fought all the time before they started dating. And they'd break up every other day at the beginning of their relationship. They were idiots and irrational but they were so in love it started to become cute. They were always getting jealous over stupid misunderstandings," Rukia explained.

"I see. Like me," he mused.

"No. Like us. We're both at fault. I should have been honest and–"  
"An' I shoulda trusted ya more," Gin finished, interrupting Rukia in the process. The dark haired girl nodded.

"From this point on, it's pretty much all waiting. My body is going to fail me sooner or later, Gin. Don't let how I look today fool you. But I've got at least a few days left in me. I wasn't planning to die before we resolved our problems. And I'm not going to let myself die too soon now that we have," Rukia said softly, addressing the issue at hand.

Gin nodded. "Yer strong, Rukia. If anyone can beat th' odds it's you." Rukia just smiled softly and closed her eyes. "Ya need yer rest," Gin said and went to remove his hand from Rukia's. Rukia squeezed his hand harder and refused to let go.

"Stay. Don't leave me here all alone. Please."

"If ya insist," Gin conceded.

"Talk to me until I fall asleep? I love the sound of your voice," she instructed.

Gin chuckled softly. "Whatcha wan' me t' talk about, Princess?" he asked.

"School. Tell me about school and all the things I'm going to miss while I'm in here," Rukia answered.

Gin made a face. Talking about school wasn't his cup of tea. Talking about it on a Saturday was even worse. "Yer meds are makin' ya weird," he teased.

Rukia laughed softly. "You're all graduating in a few weeks. I want o hear all about that. You should go to prom, too," she told him with a smile.

"Only if yer comin' wi' me," Gin said.

Rukia laughed again. "You know that won't happen. I might not be here when prom comes around, Gin," she said sadly.

"Nah. Gives ya somethin' t' live fer. Go t' prom wi' me, Rukia," the silver haired teen insisted.

"Gin..."

"Rukia Kuchiki, will ya be my date fer th' prom?" Gin asked again.

"Persistent bastard," Rukia muttered.

"Is that a yes?" Gin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, damn it!" Rukia snapped.

Gin grinned at her and leaned in to kiss her.

Rukia smiled and returned the kiss chastely. "Ugh, You're so annoying Gin."

"An' irresistible as well," added Gin.

"Now behave and let me get some rest," Rukia said sternly but with a smile.

"As you wish, Princess."


	14. Plotting

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 14 ~ **_**Plotting**_****_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Here is today's chapter! I'm almost finished writing this story. As I now have some free time, I'm going to finish it up hopefully over this long weekend (Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians reading this!). It's a nice feeling to actually finish a story for once. I feel rather accomplished!

Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers StarPrincess999, PunkRockHolly, falconrukichi, and ZareenBlack!

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"_I climb, I slip, I fall__/__Reaching for your hands__/__But I lay here all alone__/__Sweating all your blood__  
__If I could find out how__/__To make you listen now__/__Because I'm starving for you here__/__With my undying love__  
__And I, I will__/__Breathe for love tomorrow__/__Cause there's no hope for today__/__Breathe for love tomorrow__/__Cause maybe there's another way" (Breathe, Paramore)_

A few hours after making up with Rukia, Gin found himself at the Kurosaki residence with not just Renji and Ichigo but Rangiku, Yumichika, and Orihime as well. After telling Renji that Rukia had agreed to be his prom date, Gin had been whisked away to Ichigo's.

"Trust me, you'll need help convince Kuchiki to let Rukia go," Renji told him.

"And since Rukia can't go dress shopping, Rangiku, Yumichika, and Orihime are going to do it all for her," added Ichigo.

"And, if need be, we'll sneak Rukia out of the hospital!" Rangiku added.

"We'll make sure that Rukia gets to go to pro," Orihime said.

Gin just nodded. He knew that they all had doubts about whether Rukia would really make it to prom. Even he had his doubts. None of them wanted to voice that possibility, though. With Gin and Rukia more or less back together, they wanted to be optimistic about the situation. Gin certainly wasn't going to give up hope just yet. He firmly believed Rukia would beat the odds against her. She was too young to die; she was too important to too many people.

"Ichi and I have plenty of experience dealing with Kuchiki. You just have to stand your ground with him," Renji told Gin.

"But don't be disrespectful!" Orihime spoke up.

Ichigo nodded. "If you're disrespectful, Rukia'll be mad at you and might refuse to go with you. She practically worships Byakuya."

Gin nodded again. "She does have a total brother complex going on. But that's reasonable considerin' everythin' he's done fer her," he mused.

"Good, at least you grasp that," Renji said.

"Yer jus' jealous she likes him better'an you," Gin taunted.

"Shut up Ichimaru," Renji growled.

"No bloodshed in my house please! Blood's a pain in the ass to clean!" Ichigo told them, glaring.

"Yer lucky yer boyfriend's here t' save ya, Abarai," Gin said with a wicked grin.

"Play nice!" Rangiku scolded, smacking Gin upside the head. "You won't find anyone better suited to help you then Renji."

"Ain't like I mean nothin' by it," Gin said as he rubbed his head.

"Sure you don't," Renji said, only to be smacked as well. "Damn it Rangiku! Stop smackin' us around!" Renji growled and rubbed his head.

"Welcome to my world," Gin murmured to Renji. The red haired young man just gave a tiny nod.

"You've got it worst for sure," Renji murmured back.

Rangiku just rolled her eyes at Gin and Renji before turning to face Ichigo. "What if standing up to him doesn't work and he guards her hospital room?" she added, ignoring Gin and Renji's complaints.

"We'll have to think of something drastic then," Ichigo said thoughtfully.

"I could flash him," offered Rangiku. The others turned to stare at her. "What? I haven't met a man yet who's said no to my chest!"

"Out of th' question!" Gin growled.

Rangiku shrugged. "Why don't you come up with a better suggestion?" she demanded.

"Maybe I will," Gin replied.

"You're all idiots. The solution is simple."

The group of teenagers turned at the sound of a new voice. They found Toushirou Hitsugaya, Rangiku's step-brother, in the door to Ichigo's room with his arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face.

"Shirou! Why are you here brat?" demanded Rangiku.

"Stupid, I play soccer with Karin Kurosaki," Toushirou replied. "How many times do I need to explain that to you?"

"Shut up and leave us grownups alone brat," Rangiku hissed at the boy.

Toushirou snorted. "Grownups my ass. No decent adult offers to flash people."

Rangiku grabbed a pillow from Ichigo's bed and threw it at her step-brother. Toushirou caught it easily and smirked at her.

"Calm down Ran. I wanna hear what he hasta say," Gin spoke up, eyeing Toushirou. He had never gotten along with the child, but Gin did respect his intellect.

"Get Mr. Kurosaki to do it. He's a doctor, right? He can use his authority against this Kuchiki guy," Toushirou said with a shrug.

"That'd work if my dad was Rukia's doctor, but he isn't," Ichigo said, pointing out the obvious flaw in Toushirou's idea.

"We could always ask Dr. Unohana to do it if need be. She lied to Kuchiki for Rukia before, didn't she?" said Renji.

"That's what Dad said..." Ichigo said slowly.

"Then we ask her t' do it again," Gin stated, completely in favour of that plan.

"We need to try the honest way first, though," Renji told Gin. "The Kuchiki family is very influential. I don't want to get Dr. Unohana in trouble if we don't have to."  
"Sure, sure," Gin said, practically brushing Renji's concern aside.

"I mean it Gin," warned Renji.

"I know ya do! Geeze, lighten up Abarai," was Gin's response.

"Just don't screw this up for Rukia, got it?" Renji muttered.

"'Course not. I ain't no fool," Gin said.

"That's debateable," Renji murmured under his breath.


	15. Heart to Heart

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 15 ~ **_**Heart to Heart**_****_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Oh my gods! I forgot to update again! So so so sorry guys! Been up before the crack of dawn the last three days for work. Please don't hate me? HaHa. I hope this one is worth the wait! Again, so sorry!

Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers StarPrincess999, falconrukichi, PunkRockHolly, and ZareenBlack!

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_"Here comes goodbye__/__Here comes the last time__/__Here comes the start of every sleepless night__  
__The first of every tear I'm gonna cry__/__Here comes the pain__/__Here comes me wishing things had never changed__  
__And she was right here in my arms tonight, but here comes goodbye" (Here Comes Goodbye, Rascal Flatts)_

Byakuya Kuchiki made his way down the hospital corridor, heading back to Rukia's room. He had only left the room to give Rukia and her doctor some privacy, even if he didn't completely trust Unohana to tell him everything anymore. She had betrayed his trust once at Rukia's insistence and he had no doubt she'd do it again if Rukia begged her to. With his family's power and connections, he could keep Dr. Unohana from practicing medicine ever again. But despite what many people liked to believe about him, Byakuya Kuchiki was not a cruel and heartless man. He loved Rukia too much to do anything that would shorten her already short life. Not only was she his precious baby sister, but she was his last connection to Hisana; she was his entire world.

As Byakuya drew closer to his sister's room, he saw Dr. Unohana talking to someone outside Rukia's room. He had been expecting Kurosaki or Abarai but a second glance revealed neither of the fools Rukia called her best friends. Byakuya frowned when he saw it was the silver haired teen he had met a few days before, his sister's supposed boyfriend Gin Ichimaru.

'_He has some nerve returning,_' Byakuya thought and quickened his pace. He had allowed Ichimaru access to Rukia once. As far as Byakuya was concerned, that was enough. His presence would cause more harm than anything and Byakuya would not stand for that.

"Dr. Unohana, may I have a moment alone with this young man?" Byakuya asked as he closed in on the teen and the doctor.

Dr. Unohana gave Byakuya a calm smile. "Of course, Mr. Kuchiki. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ichimaru," the older woman said before taking her leave.

"Ain't she nice?" Gin asked with a forced grin.

"Always," Byakuya replied. Ro be honest, even Byakuya was afraid of Dr. Unohana. Even though she was always kind and soft spoken, there was just something about Retsu Unohana that made the toughest men quake in fear. Byakuya and Gin were no exception. The two men waited until the woman was out of sight to let out sighs of relief.

It was then that Byakuya turned his full attention back to Gin. "Why are you here Ichimaru?" he demanded, his tone and expression both becoming cold.

"Need t' talk t' ya 'bout Rukia," Gin answered.

"Rukia is no longer any of your concern, Ichimaru. You need to leave now," Byakuya told Gin sternly.

"Nah. Ain't yer choice t'make," Gin said, refusing to move. Byakuya frowned at Gin. "Ain't leavin' 'til I do what I came t' do, Kuchiki."

Byakuya's frown deepened. "And just what did you come here to do? Do you intend to blame your insecurities on Rukia again? Or do you wish to torment her into an early grave?" the dark haired man demanded as he folded his arms over his chest. Though Rukia often referred to Gin as a cute and crafty fox, Byakuya only saw Gin as a cold hearted snake.

"Rukia's gone an' forgiven me fer all o' that, Kuchiki," Gin pointed out.

"You have your absolution then. There is no longer any reason for you to come trouble my family," Byakuya replied, unwilling to concede the point.

"I wanna take Rukia t' prom. She said yes t' me," Gin said.

Byakuya's eyes widened in shock. "Absolutely not!"

"She ain't never gonna get th' chance t' go ta another one!"

"Leaving the hospital is not an option," Byakuya said.

"This is why she didn' tell ya how sick she is! Yer a bastard, ya know tha' Kuchiki? A real bastard!" Gin growled, clenching his fists at his side.

Byakuya, however, remained indifferent. "I may be a bastard but my actions didn't cause Rukia extreme emotional duress."

Gin growled again and grabbed Byakuya by the front of his shirt. "Yer no better! Ya did th' same thing when ya were in my shoes!" the silver haired teen snarled.

"You know nothing about me," Byakuya said softly.

"I know plenty! Rukia ain't Hisana!" Gin almost shouted.

Byakuya's icy exterior melted away quickly and a look of pure contempt replaced it. He grabbed Gin's wrist and forced it away from his shirt. "I watched the love of my life die. Now I have to watch the girl I raised, my sister, die as well. There is no possible way that you can know that kind of pain! The dark haired man practically snarled.

Gin, however, looked completely unaffected by Byakuya's sudden change of demeanour. Instead, Gin pulled his wrist free and opened his eyes fully, looking Byakuya right in the eye. "I ain't no stranger t' death. Ya ain't h' only person ta ever lose someone precious. Ain'tgonna stand here an' watch ya ruin on o' th' most important nights o' Rukia's life."

Byakuya met Gin's gaze with his own indifferent one. "There is no place for you in what is left of Rukia's life. Leave now or I will have security escort you out."

Gin's carefully constructed smirking mask slid back into place quickly. "mark my words, Kuchiki. Ya ain't gettin' yer way on this," the silver haired youth promised before walking away.

A softly growl escaped Byakuya as he watched Gin disappear down the hall. He had no idea what his sister saw in Gin. As far as Byakuya was concerned, Gin was just another good for nothing kind of person Rukia was better off without. Byakuya would make sure Gin never got near Rukia again. He could protect her from people like Gin Ichimaru at the very least.

After Gin was gone, Byakuya regained his composure and entered Rukia's room. He had barely left Rukia's side since she had been admitted to the hospital. For him, there was nothing more important than being with Rukia when she needed him the most.

Rukia stirred and blinked groggily at Byakuya. "Brother...? Were you yelling in the hall...?" she asked softly. Byakuya blinked in surprise at her. Had he been yelling? "I couldn't tell if it was a dream or not," Rukia murmured.

"I had not meant to yell. I apologize for ruining your sleep," Byakuya said softly.

"Who were you yelling at?"

Byakuya frowned faintly. He could not lie to Rukia in good conscience. "Gin Ichimaru."

"What? Gin was here? And he didn't come see me?" Rukia demanded, becoming more alert at the mention of Gin's name. "Why were you yelling at Gin, Brother?"

"I do not think seeing that young man will do you any good, Rukia. He is not the type of person you should be around in your condition," replied Byakuya, evading his sister's questions.

"Brother..." Rukia said with a frown.

"He will only make you worse," Byakuya insisted.

"Byakuya, I'm dying. It can't get any worse," Rukia pointed out bluntly.

Once again Byakuya looked startled by his sister's words. He had not expected her to admit it so easily after having kept it a secret for so long. "Rukia, did you tell that boy you would go to prom with him?" Byakuya asked softly.

It was Rukia's turn to look surprised. "How... did you... know...?" she asked hesitantly.

"Ichimaru told me. He came to ask for my permission," answered Byakuya. The two Kuchiki siblings sat in silence for a few moments before Byakuya began to speak again. "Rukia, you know it is not possible for you to go," he told her gently. Byakuya reached over and took her hand in his. "Leaving the hospital now would only have an adverse affect on your health."

Rukia frowned at her brother. "You told him no?"

"I had no other choice."

"Did you ever stop to consider what I want, Brother?" Rukia asked softly, tears filling her violet eyes.

Byakuya frowned visibly. Of course he hadn't considered her feelings. He was her brother and he knew what was best for her. "Rukia, please trust my decisions," he pleaded softly.

"Brother, I want to go! I want to do something normal with my friends one last time," Rukia told Byakuya, trying hard not to let her tears fall. She refused to let herself cry. She had to be strong if she wanted to convince her brother he was making the wrong decision.

"What if you collapse again? There would be no one around to help you in an emergency," Byakuya said, trying to reason with the teen.

"Ichigo's dad will probably be a chaperone. He's a doctor," Rukia replied matter-of-factly.

"That boy is not good enough for you Rukia. He will only hurt you again!"

"Brother... this isn't really about prom, is it?" Rukia asked softly, searching Byakuya's face with questioning eyes. "This is about you. You're scared, aren't you?"

Byakuya shifted his gaze to the ceiling. "Not at all. This is not about me at all," he said.

Rukia frowned but squeezed Byakuya's hand. "Brother, I love you," she whispered.

Byakuya looked back at Rukia. "Rukia," he said sadly.

Rukia looked up at her brother and saw the tears falling freely from his eyes. The day Hisana had died was the only other time she had seen Byakuya cry. He hadn't even cried at her funeral. And now he was crying for Rukia. The mere sight of his tears had been enough for hers to start falling freely.

"You are the most important person in the world to me Brother. I am so blessed to have you in my life," she told him.

"Do not say your goodbyes to me so soon," Byakuya insisted pleadingly. "I cannot bear the thought that this is the end."

"Going to Gin's prom gives me something to look forward to, to live for, Brother. Please grant me my final request," Rukia pleaded.

Byakuya watched Rukia quietly for a moment. He then closed his eyes and turned away from her. "You may attend so long as Dr. Unohana agrees to the idea." The mighty Byakuya Kuchiki had caved to the soft pleas of his sister though he felt he would come to regret his choice. One more regret in his life, though, was a fair price to pay to see Rukia smile at him with infinite love and adoration.

"Thank you, Brother. Thank you," Rukia whispered as she smiled at him.

Byakuya nodded and added, "I will leave so you may rest now. Sleep well, little sister. I love you."

"I love you too, Brother," Rukia said as she watched Byakuya leave her room once more.


	16. What Friends Are For

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 16~ What Friends Are For**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes: **Tonight's chapter is here! A short one, but a good one I think. Not much to say tonight. Watching Beauty and the Beast for the second time this week because I'm in love with the movie. I half wish that had been the inspiration behind this tale, but alas, it is not.

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers Tobi Torii, StarPrincess999, and PunkRockHolly!

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"_A strangled smile fell from your face__/__It kills me that I hurt you this way__/__The worst part is that I didn't even know__  
__Now there's a million reasons for you to go__/__But if you can find a reason to stay__/__I'll do whatever it takes__  
__To turn this around__/__I know what's at stake__/__I know that I've let you down__  
__And if you give me a chance__/__Believe that I can change__/__I'll keep us together whatever it takes" ("Whatever It Takes"; Lifehouse)_

"I can't believe he told you no!" Rangiku exclaimed as she and Gin made their way through the school's cafeteria together. Gin had just finished telling Rangiku about his talk with Byakuya and was genuinely surprised she wasn't smacking him for his own behaviour. It's not like he edited the story to make himself look better either.

"Guess I deserve it," Gin said with a defeated shrug.

"You do, but Rukia doesn't! He could have said yes for her sake!" Rangiku said, agreeing with Gin.

"Kick me while I'm down why don'cha," Gin muttered despite agreeing with her.

"Really Gin, what did you expect? Even if you hadn't lost your cool he would have told you no," Rangiku pointed out, sounding exasperated with Gin. "You did break up with her the day before all this began. And you ignored her for an entire week before that."

Gin frowned. He knew he had been awful to Rukia. He knew he had handled the situation in the worst possible way. But if Rukia, the person he had wrong, was willing to give him another shot, why couldn't her brother? Gin was trying to make things right the only way he could. It wasn't fair to him or Rukia that Byakuya was holding a grudge.

"Though, from what Ichigo says, this Byakuya guy is a real control freak. I guess he even puts Shirou to shame," Rangiku when Gin didn't speak. When he got quiet and wrapped up in his own thoughts, Rangiku often continued to ramble on despite obviously not being heard by Gin. Sometimes it was better – and safer – to let Gin work through his unique thought process on his own. '_It's a hell of a lot less confusing,_' she thought as she watched Gin.

"Jus' ain't right t' let him win like this," Gin finally said. "An' it ain't right t' jus' write Rukia off as a lost cause too."

It was Rangiku's turn to frown. "Gin, she's terminal. She's going to die whether it's right this second or a month from now," the busty young woman pointed out softly.

"Ain't nothin' wrong wi' hopin' fer a miracle, Ran," Gin said.

"Just... treat every day like it really is her last. Don't hold anything back for a tomorrow that might not come," she advised gently.

"I know Ran. Ain't like I could ferget y'know," Gin said, dismissing her concern as though it were completely unfounded. Rangiku just scowled at her friend before swatting his arm.

"Be nice."

"I am bein' nice," Gin said as he rolled his eyes.

"Sure you are," Rangiku mumbled.

"See? Ya agree."

"Pain in the ass."

"Ya love me anyway," Gin reminded her.

"So how do you plan to get her out of the hospital? I could still flash the guy for you," Rangiku offered with a devilish smile.

"Don' think Shuuhei'd be too happy 'bout his girl flashin' someone," Gin said,

"Ah. I dumped him," Rangiku said quietly.

Gin raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Why?"

"Gin! Focus on your problems right now!" Rangiku snapped.

"Ya better tell me after," Gin said.

"I will! Now focus on getting Rukia to prom!" Rangiku demanded.

"Guess we gotta ask th' doctor ta help," Gin sighed, Renji would definitely never let him hear the end of it now. Gin had been careless and now he had to involve someone who could get fired for helping him. He felt guilty, a feeling that still wasn't used to. It made him hesitant. He didn't like that either. The old Gin, the pre-Rukia Gin, wouldn't have hesitated to do anything to get what he wanted regardless of who he had to step on along the way.

"Gin, you look... guilty? Did you finally develop a conscience?" Rangiku asked, feigning surprise.

"Shut up Ran! I ain't got no such thing! Yer transferin' yer guilt 'bout dumpin' Shuuhei over t' me," Gin growled.

Rangiku just snickered. "Sure, whatever you say."

"Damn it, Ran! Ya ain't helpin' me none!" Gin exclaimed before walking away from Rangiku.

"Oh stop being a baby!" Rangiku called as she watched him go. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to stop, Rangiku ran after him. "Hey! Wait up!"


	17. Getting Ready

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 17 ~ Getting Ready**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Well, the story is starting to wind down with this chapter. We're almost done guys! I'm actually just about finished writing this. I'm going to try to get it done tomorrow after work!

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers PunkRockHolly (I love writing Gin and Ran in this!), StarPrincess999 (The real reason is because I prefer Rangiku with someone else. But the story explanation is in the next chapter!), ZareenBlack (Yeah, Ran and Shuu breaking up would cause a lot of drama... I should write a bonus chapter about that!), and Annella (Thank you very much! I'm actually really enjoying GinRuki more than I thought I would.)!

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"_Well you showed me how it feels__/__To feel the sky within my reach__/__And I always will remember all__  
__The strength you gave to me__/__Your love made me make it through__/__Oh, I owe so much to you__  
__You were right there for me__/__In my dreams__/__I'll always see you soar__  
__Above the sky__/__In my heart__/__There always be a place__  
__For you for all my life__/__I'll keep a part__/__Of you with me__  
__And everywhere I am__/__There you'll be" ("There You'll Be"; Faith Hill)_

The next two weeks passed at an agonizingly slow pace for Gin. Between getting ready for prom, which had finally arrived, and attempting to see Rukia for more than a few minutes while Byakuya's back was turned, Gin was exhausted. He was starting to question exactly why he thought going to prom was a good idea. It was doing nothing but driving him crazy. He had to remind himself every few minutes that he was doing it for Rukia's sake. Seeing Rukia all dolled up would be worth it. Showing her that giving up all hope was the wrong choice would be worth it. Hell, getting the best of Byakuya Kuchiki made the whole damn thing worth it for Gin.

'_Hate that smug bastard,_' Gin thought as he fixed his tie in front of the bathroom mirror. He had opted to go with an ensemble of all black, the tie being the exception. His tie was silver to match his hair. His simple button down dress shirt and dress pants had been sitting in his closet since they had been bought for him by his mother. Gin preferred his jeans and tees and had neglected to ever try on anything remotely dressy his mother gave him.

'_Ain't bad lookin' in'em, I guess,_' he thought as he eyed his reflection. He ran a hand through his short hair and let out a sigh. He hoped Rukia liked the way he looked in his dress clothes. Her opinion was the only one that mattered that night. Of course, ever after prom Rukia's opinion would be the only one that mattered to him. As long as they were together nothing else mattered; no one else mattered. Rukia was his entire world. Since meeting her in detention, she had been the only one he wanted. Even when he was mad at her she was still the only girl in his heart and thoughts. He supposed that was why it had hurt so badly and why he had tried to convince her she wasn't good for him. He had been trying to convince himself so it would hurt less; so he'd stop thinking about all the time.

'_Maybe it's love,_' he thought as he left the bathroom. He thought he had fallen in love with her, even during their fight he had thought that. It just had to be love if it felt like your heart was being torn from your chest when you thought things were over forever, right? When you began to feel things you'd never before felt? It was love or Gin was becoming a masochist. Those were the only two reasons Gin could come up with for why he had done the things he had.

"Gin, darling, your ride is here!"

Gin made his way down the stairs two at a time and practically flew past his mother, waving as she reminded him to have fun and to have lots of pictures taken. Gin was riding to the hospital with Uryuu Ishida, someone he didn't know very well. Rangiku and Orihime, Uryuu's girlfriend, were already at the hospital to help Rukia dress and leave. Rangiku's mystery date was meeting them there with a limo. Ichigo and Renji had been tasked with keeping Byakuya distracted. That left Gin and Uryuu with nothing to do but get ready and show up on time.

"So how were you able to set our ride up without any trouble?" Gin asked as he slid into the back seat of the Ishidas' car.

"MY father is on his way to work at the hospital," Uryuu answered.

"Yer a doctor Mr. Ishida?" Gin asked.

"Yes, he is," Uryuu spoke up before his father could answer.

The older Ishida man glanced at Gin quickly before adding, "I own the hospital."

Gin let out an impressed whistle. "He in on th' plan Ishida?" the silver haired teen asked. Uryuu replied with a nod. "Yer kinda amazin', Dr. Ishida."

"Don't praise him. He's only involved to try to one up Kurosaki's dad. It's not like he's helping because he cares about anyone but himself," Uryuu snapped. Gin just raised an eyebrow as Dr. Ishida gave a shrug.

Uryuu glowered at his father from the front passenger seat for the rest of the ride to the hospital. Gin, on the other hand, watched the scenery pass by, bored with the Ishida family drama. He sat in silence wishing one of his parents had agreed to drive him and Uryuu instead of leaving Gin to his own devices. He always tried to avoid asking them for things because he knew that they would brush him off anyway. Mostly he was used to and okay with it but sometimes he still wished they did a little more for him.

'_Oh well. Can't be helped,_' he thought as he closed his eyes. He didn't open them again until the car stopped. He opened the door and got out of the car, stretching his arms legs as he did. "Thanks Dr. Ishida," he said with a wave before following Uryuu into the hospital.

The two teens made their way up to Rukia's hospital room in silence. They had never really gotten to know one another in the four years they had gone to school together. They had always been part of different social circles so silence was far less awkward for them than an attempt at conversation would be.

"I hope they're ready," Uryuu said suddenly.

Gin just glanced at Uryuu from the corner of his eye and gave a shrug. "Women ain't ever ready on time. Jus' a fact o' life," Gin replied. Being friends with Rangiku had taught him that the hard way. Growing up, she had never once been ready on time. Why should prom night be any different?

"Mmm," was all Uryuu could think to say. Gin just shrugged again and slid his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. Uryuu watched him quietly for a moment. "Aren't you nervous?" the dark haired teen asked.

"'Bout what?" Gin asked.

"For starters, about Byakuya Kuchiki."

Gin raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look at Uryuu this time. "Abarai an' Kurosaki are s'posed t' be distractin' him so I ain't concerned," Gin explained.

"Um... so why is he waiting outside of Rukia's room?" Uryuu asked, pointing ahead of them.

Gin looked ahead of them and scowled. His so-called new friends were absolutely useless. Byakuya was indeed standing outside Rukia's room. Once the older man had spotted Gin, he kept his icy glare fixed on the silver haired youth. Gin's eyes narrowed more but he met Byakuya's gaze and held it the rest of the way down the hallway.

"Don't do anything rash," Uryuu warned quietly.

Gin didn't reply. Instead he just continued to stare down Byakuya. He should have gotten Yumichika or Izuru to keep Byakuya away instead of Renji and Ichigo. Gin was already planning his revenge against the two of them.

"Ichimaru," Byakuya said, his tone as icy as his gaze.

"Kuchiki," Gin said in response, his tone mocking and as rude as possible.

"I thought I told you this was not going to happen? Do I look like a fool to you?" questioned Byakuya.

"Ya wan' my honest answer? Or d'ya wan' me t' give ya some BS one?" retorted Gin. He would not let Byakuya Kuchiki intimidate him into leaving without Rukia at his side.

"I had assumed you were smart enough to realize the fools you sent to distract me were not cut out for that sort of task," Byakuya said, his face devoid of any sort of emotion or expression.

Gin shrugged nonchalantly in reply. He had just been thinking the exact same thing so there was no point in denying it.

"I do hope you have come up with a half way decent back up plan, Ichimaru," Byakuya added, challenging the young genius.

"Nah. Ain't got nothin' up my sleeve this time," Gin answered. "Plan on jus' takin' Rukia whether ya like it or not."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at Gin, amused but not surprised by his answer. Byakuya had expected as much from Gin. He was a young man that would do whatever it took to get what he wants. Despite his general dislike of Gin, Byakuya still could not help but be impressed by his tenacity. "Are you certain you can do that Gin Ichimaru?" Byakuya challenged once more.

"Ain't gonna be stopped by th' likes of ya, Byakuya Kuchiki," Gin replied. "Now stand aside."

"I see," was Byakuya said before stepping aside. Gin smirked while Uryuu looked surprised. "You will thank my sister for changing my mind, Ichimaru. And you will take perfect care of her, do you understand me?" the long haired man stated.

"O' course I will. Ain't goin' t' let nothin' bad happen t' Rukia ever again," Gin replied honestly. As long as he remained by Rukia's side he would do everything in his power to make her the happiest person in the world.

Byakuya just nodded and opened the door to Rukia's room. Orihime and Rangiku poked their heads out of the room.

"Can we come out now Byakuya?" Orihime asked cheerfully.

Byakuya nodded. "He has proven himself worthy."

Orihime giggled and was the first one out. Uryuu's cheeks turned red as he took in his girlfriend's simple, floor length, hot pink halter style dress.

"Orihime... wow..." the young man breathed.

Orihime blushed as brightly as her boyfriend. "You like it?" she asked timidly. Despite being a beauty to rival Rangiku, Orihime was much more conservative. The simple fact that her dress was backless was enough to make Orihime feel a little awkward and shy.

"You look... wow..." Uryuu said again, his eyes never leaving her. "Thank you, Uryuu," Orihime said with a smile.

"I told you he'd like it, Hime!" Rangiku said as she bounded out of the room next, drawing everyone's attention to her. Unlike Orihime, who had tried to dress as modestly as possible, Rangiku had opted to utilize and show off her assets. Rangiku's dress was clingy in all the right places and had a plunging neckline, showing off as much cleavage as she could without looking skanky. Though the dress went down to her feet, a slit ran up the lift side, revealing her long, slender leg up to the thigh. And, of course, it was a sparkly fire engine red.

"You're still much prettier, Rangiku," Orihime said softly.

"Nonsense! You're drop dead gorgeous Hime!" Rangiku insisted, her tight strawberry curls bouncing as she turned to face Gin. "Right Gin?"

Gin grinned at Orihime. "Ran's right. Yer a knock out, Orihime."

Orihime ducked her head and blushed while Uryuu glared daggers at Gin. "Should you really be hitting on my girlfriend in front of you girlfriend's brother?" he demanded.

"Ain't nothin' Kuchiki here ain't thinkin' himself," Gin stated, enjoying Byakuya's obvious discomfort upon hearing that. "B'sides, ya can never compliment sweet, pretty girls too much."

"Thank you Gin," Orihime said before taking Uryuu's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "But you won't think so when you see Rukia," she added.

"That's right! Just wait until you see her Gin!" Rangiku agreed as she turned to face the door. "Ruki, get your ass out here!"

"Shut up Ran! These shoes are hard to walk in!" Rukia yelled from inside her hospital room.

Gin's grin widened, happy to hear his Rukia sounding like her usual fiery self. He was relieved that she didn't sound as weak ad frail as he had been imaginging.

"Suck it up Princess!" Rangiku called with a grin.

"Keep it up and I'll throw the damn things at you, Ran!"

Gin's grin widened considerably and even Byakuya couldn't help looking amused. "Cmon Princess, stop teasin' me like this!" Gin called, half expecting a shoe to come flying at his head in response. Instead, Rukia made her way into the hallway, her eyes on the floor as though she were embarrassed. Gin's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open slightly. He could not believe his eyes. He had never seen Rukia in anything so fancy before and he liked it. A lot. "Wow."

Rukia was a vision in her dusty rose gown. The bodice was fitted and crested with glittering rhinestones At her hip sat a delicate flower that lead into a skirt of filmy, cascading waves. Her hair was swept up into a simple up-do with two loose tendrils of raven coloured hair left to frame her pale face.

Gin exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Suddenly how Orihime and Rangiku looked didn't matter to Gin. The moment Rukia had stepped into view everything and everyone around Gin seemed to vanish. In his world, there was just Rukia and him. Nothing mattered except her and the way he felt about her, how they felt about each other.

Rukia glanced up at Gin and blushed furiously as he stared at her, still gaping like an awe struck fool. "Say something Gin," she said softly. "You're making me worry that I look awful or something."

"Yer th' most beautiful women I ever saw," he said without taking his eyes off her.

Rukia smiled slowly but confidently. "You don't look half bad yourself. Who knew Gin Ichimaru could clean up so well?" she said lightly, teasing him.

"Bloody miracle, ain't it?" Gin replied with a smirk.

"But your tie doesn't match my dress," Rukia pointed out.

"I'll get rid of it," Gin offered.

"But you need a tie."

"I'll go buy a pink one," Gin told her, already loosening the knot of the silver tie.

"Already done!" Rangiku spoke up, somehow producing a tie the same colour as Rukia's dress.

Gin raised an eyebrow. "Ya planned fer this, eh? Ya jus' wanna see me in pink!"

The three fancily dressed young women shared a look and giggled. "Of course we did," Orihime said.

"It's not like you knew the colour of Rukia's dress beforehand, silly. We had to be prepared in case you wore something gaudy," added Rangiku.

"Though the silver tie does suit you, the pink one is better," Rukia told him.

"Women. Yer all so evil," Gin muttered as he took the pink tie from Rangiku and put it on.

"Not evil. Just prepared," Rangiku insisted. It was obvious she was the ring leader.

"Yer th' evil mastermind, ain'tcha?" Gin asked her.

"Me? I'm innocent," Rangiku replied and smile dher sweetest smile at Gin.

"Makes ya look guiltier," Gin told her.

Rangiku was about to reply when she was cut off by a polyphonic version of "Ode to Joy". Orihime handed Rangiku her cell and the red clad strawberry blonde checked her incoming text quickly. "Our limo awaits," she said and handed her cell back over to Orihime, who was the only one of the girls carrying a purse.

"Was that Beethoven?" Byakuya asked, a little surprised.

"What? Girls like me can't be cultured?" Rangiku demanded, her hands on her hips.

"Don' answer. She can kick yer ass," Gin advised.

Uryuu nodded. "I've only heard stories, but she sounds scary," he added.

"That quarterback deserved everything he got!" Rangiku seethed.

"Go enjoy your prom," Byakuya said suddenly sounding wary.

Rukia gave her brother a hug and a kiss on the cheek quickly. "Go home and get some real sleep," she told him.

Byakuya returned the hug. "Goodbye Rukia."

"Goodbye Byakuya. I love you," she said before leaving with her friends.

"I love you, too," Byakuya said to her back as he watched her go. He could not shake the ominous feeling that suddenly began to overwhelm him.


	18. Prom

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 18 ~ Prom**_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Well, better late than never! I just finished typing up the ending of this story and have decided that I am going to post a chapter every day. That means the last update will go up on Thursday, November 11th! I realized after typing everything that this chapter is mostly dialogue and not a lot of description. I apologize for that. I based it off my memories of my own prom. I remember a lot of cheesy decorations and a lot of talking/socializing. And, of course, some dancing. Of course, it has been five years since my high school prom... (That makes me feel old!)

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers ZareenBlack (After I catch up on my drabbles, I may do a few bonus chapters for this story!), StarPrincess999 (Yeah, I like the Byakuya/Rukia moments the best, so I get a lot fluffy with them!), and PunkRockHolly (HaHa. I just needed an excuse to get Gin in pink!).

* * *

"_Tell me actions speak louder__/__But there's somethin' about her words__/__That hurt__  
__Clothes on the bed, so late and__/__I'm the last one still waitin' for you to lock the door__/__On our way home I realize__  
__There's some kind of storm brewing in his eyes__/__Only veiled by a thin disguise" (Out of Goodbyes, Maroon 5 ft. Lady Antebellum)  
_

"Wow, they did a really good job decorating," Orihime said as her group of friends entered the banquet hall Karakura High's prom was being held at. Strands of white icicle lights hung from the ceiling along with pale coloured streamers. On the tables were vases filled with roses and alstroemaria and little white votive candles. A railing wrapped in pastel ribbons and more of the same flowers separated the dance floor from the tables

"It's too flowery if you ask me," Keigo Asano, Rangiku's date for the evening, said.

"And what's up with the stupid railing?" Renji asked. He and Ichigo had also shared the limo with the other three couples.

"The decorations aren't important. We're here to have fun," Rukia reminded Keigo and Renji.

"Rukia's right. Besides, once I get you on the dance floor you're not going to notice anything but your goddess," Rangiku said, grinning seductively at Keigo.

"Oh boy. Don't get him all worked up, Rangiku," Ichigo said while Keigo blushed and grinned like a fool.

Rangiku laughed and ruffled Keigo's already messy hair. "But it's fun!"

"Yeah, Ichigo. It's fun, back off," Keigo agreed.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath about Keigo's lack of brains. Keigo ignored his friend, opting to shower Rangiku with his undivided attention instead.

"What a pair," Rukia giggled.

"Maybe Ran'll keep'im," Gin said.

"That would be nice, Keigo really is a good guy when he's not letting his hormones get the best of him," Rukia added. Gin just nodded and lead her toward the table the rest of their friends were sitting at.

"Oh my god Rukia! You look radiant!" Yumichika exclaimed when he saw Rukia. The dark haired girl blushed. "I want the first dance, okay?" he said, his eyes never leaving her.

"Sure," she said softly, much to Gin's and Ikkaku's surprise

"Don't give me that look Ikkaku! If you can hit on Ran in front of me than I can have one dance with Rukia!" Yumichika scolded Ikkaku.

"Dance with her, I don't care. Just don't hog her!" Ikkaku growled, surprising everyone else at the table.

"Who said yer allowed t' dance wi' Rukia anyway?" Gin asked.

"Rukia," Ikkaku and Yumichika replied at the same time.

Gin just scowled and dropped his arm protectively around Rukia's waist. "Ain't given her up wi'out a fight," Gin stated.

"Too late. Rukia already said yes to me," Yumichika said. He rose from his chair and offered Rukia his hand just as a slow song began to play. "Shall we, Princess?"

Rukia gave Gin an apologetic look as she accepted Yumichika's outstretched hand. "I did tell him yes," she said.

Gin let out an over exaggerated sigh of discontent before kissing Rukia and letting her go off with Yumichika.

"You look like you're handling things better," Izuru spoke up from his spot next to Ikkaku. Izuru and his date, Momo Hinamori, were sitting at the table with Ikkaku and Yumichika, as was Shuuhei.

"T'night ain't th' night t' let myself be sad," Gin answered Izuru before turning to look at Shuuhei. "No date fer th' legendary Shuuhei Hisagi?" Gin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not that hard up since Rangiku and I split," Shuuhei scoffed.

"He came with Miss Demon Eyes," Ikkaku said.

"Shut up. Don't call her that!" growled Shuuhei.

"Ya came with Nanao?" Gin choked. Nanao Ise was Rangiku's other closest friend. She was Rangiku's complete opposite and was known for being able to stop a man in his tracks with one annoyed glance.

"The only reason Rangiku and I dated was to make Nanao jealous," Shuuhei said with a shrug.

"Yer a bastard Hisagi," Gin growled

"What? Rangiku knew!" Shuuhei exclaimed defensively.

Gin glanced back at Rangiku, who was chatting with Nanao and Keigo, and caught the happy look on her face. "Ran'd do somethin' like that fer sure," he conceded.

"Yeah, she's pretty crafty," agreed Shuuhei.

"Troublesome is more like it," Gin muttered as he took a seat.

"And you seriously never dated her? You two are so perfect for each other," Shuuhei said.

"Tha'd be like datin' my sister!" Gin exclaimed, making a face. He had never thought of Rangiku in a romantic way. Rangiku would say the same even though Gin suspected it would be a lie. No woman was immune to his charms, Rangiku included. Or so he kept telling himself.

"If you say so," Shuuhei shrugged.

"I do say so," Gin said. Shuuhei just rolled his eyes at the silver haired teen.

"Who else is sitting with us? There's room for two more after Gin and Rukia," Momo asked, changing the subject.

"Abarai and Kurosaki," Gin replied as civilly as he could. He was not Momo Hinamori's biggest fan. He was only nice to her sometimes because Izuru liked her. Even then, he wasn't overly nice to the girl.

"Oh," was all Momo said in response.

"Don' like'em?" inquired Gin.

"Oh, they're okay. I was just hoping Rangiku and her date would fill the empty seats," answered Momo. Gin just shrugged. Rangiku had decided to sit with Keigo, Uryuu, and Orihime. Unlike Gin, Rangiku could fit in with just about any clique. That was probably why Momo wanted Rangiku at their table.

"It'll be nice to catch up with Renji, though, won't it Momo?" Izuru asked, swooping in to save his date from Gin's cold indifference to her.

Momo nodded a bit. "It has been a long time since the three of us were together," she admitted.

"I think fifth or sixth grade was the last time," Izuru mused. Momo nodded again.

"Last time for what?" Renji asked, joining the group at the tail end of the conversation. Ichigo was right behind him.

"The last time our trio was together," Momo informed the red head.

"it was fifth and it couldn't be helped. We had to move," Renji said with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's right. You did move. You cried about that," Izuru said with a playful smirk.

"Shut up Izuru, you cried too!" Renji growled, looking embarrassed.

"The next time we saw you, you looked like such a thug! It was so weird!" Momo added.

"You never changed a bit Momo. But Izuru had that emo thing going on," Renji agreed.

"Had? Don't let his new hair cut fool you, Abarai. He'll his emo lock again after prom," Ikkaku said.

"At least I'm not bald," Izuru taunted.

"Call me that again and I'll kill you!" Ikkaku nearly shouted.

Izuru smirked. "Bald."

Ikkaku grabbed the first thing he could reach and flung it at Izuru as hard as he could. Luckily for Izuru, it had been a flower.

Izuru blinked, a little stunned. "A flower?" he said. Gin snorted and Shuuhei snickered. "Yumichika was right about your favourite anime," Izuru said after he recovered from the surprise of having a flower thrown at him.

"Shut up!" Ikkaku exclaimed, turning bright red.

"Ha! Even his bald head turns red when he blushes!" Ichigo pointed out. Ikkaku seethed while his friends howled with laughter. They barely noticed Yumichika and Rukia return to the table.

"What's so funny?" Rukia asked.

"Ikkaku's throwing flowers at people," Gin replied with a grin.

"I knew you should have worn that mask and cape I picked out for you!" Yumichika exclaimed, setting off a fresh round of laughter from everyone but Rukia.

"I think it's kind of sexy," Rukia said with a devious grin.

"Take that, Ichimaru!" Ikkaku gloated. He was feeling pretty smug thanks to Rukia.

"Look whatcha started! Ain't never gonna be able t' shut'im up now!" groaned Gin.

"Maybe it'll teach you to be nicer," suggested Rukia, smiling sweetly at her boyfriend.

"Fat chance," snorted Renji.

"Agreed. It's physically impossible for Gin to be nicer. He's broken like that," added Izuru.

"Some best friend ya are," Gin grumbled.

"Ran's your best friend, remember?" Izuru reminded Gin, who rolled his eyes.

"Ya can have more'an one."

"Not so fun when you're the one being picked on, is it?" teased Rukia.

"Yer so mean t' me! My poor heart!" Gin exclaimed, grimacing and covering his heart with his hands.

"Smart ass," Rukia told him.

"Needs t' be smart t' match my brain," Gin said with a nod. Rukia groaned and swatted her date's arm. Gin just laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "C'mon, Princess, ya owe me a dance," Gin told her before leading her away.

"It's nice seeing Rukia look so happy," Yumichika said softly.

"She's been looking forward to tonight since Gin asked her," Renji said.

"She looks amazing, all things considered," Yumichika continued.

Renji nodded. "She's strong. Stronger than she realizes."

"I'm glad. Maybe there is still hope," Yumichika said, feeling hopeful himself.

Renji just nodded. Even though he knew better, it was hard for him to accept Rukia's situation as hopeless. There was still a part of him that clung desperately to the tiniest bit of hope. False hope was better than no hope. Renji sighed and smiled a little as he watched Rukia dance with Gin.

Gin slid his arms protectively around Rukia's tiny waist and held her close as they moved in slow circles. He took no notice of the other couples around them.

"I like this song," Rukia said as she melted into Gin's embrace.

"Oh yeah?" Gin asked, looking down at his girlfriend.

Rukia nodded her head against Gin's chest. "It's sweet."

Gin smiled softly at Rukia, one of his rare genuine smiles. "_You an' I, right or wrong, there's no other one after this time spent alone,_" he sang softly, "_It's hard to believe a man with sight could be so blind, thinkin' about th' better times. Must have been out of my mind._"

Rukia blushed as Gin serenaded her. She could not believe how wonderful his singing voice sounded. She loved; she loved him Nothing could beat twirling around the dance floor in his arms while he sand to her. She wished the moment could last forever. For Rukia, it was the perfect moment. "Your voice is amazing,: she whispered softly.

"Yer th' amazin' one," Gin whispered back. He pulled her closer and held her gently but tightly as though he was afraid she would vanish if he didn't.

Rukia chuckled softly. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere tonight."

"Don' wan' ya goin' nowhere, ever," Gin demanded.

"Gin..."

"Shhh. Fer t'night we ain't talkin' 'bout it no more," Gin said softly, caressing her cheek softly. Rukia gave a tiny nod and Gin leaned down to kiss her softly. Rukia smiled and kissed back. "Ya should wear heels more often. I can reach ya better this way," Gin pointed out when their kiss ended.

"It's not my fault I'm short!" Rukia exclaimed, her voice filled with annoyance.

Gin just laughed and moved to ruffle Rukia;s hair but thought better of it. The look Rukia was giving him was enough to make him think he'd lose his hand if he messed up her hair.

"Good boy," she said though her tone clearly said, 'Do it, I dare you!'

"Woof," was all Gin said with a smirk.

Rukia laughed and smacked his arm playfully. "You are definitely a smart ass."

"Would ya have me any other way?" Gin asked.

"No. I like you just the way you are Gin," she replied sincerely.

"I like ya jus' th' way ya are, too," Gin told her just as sincerely. He leaned down and kissed Rukia again.

"Get a room!" Ikkaku called from their table.

"Shut up Madarame! Don't encourage him!" barked Renji.

"Go Rukia go!" encouraged Rangiku.

"MATSUMOTO!" Renji roared.

Rukia laughed and began to lead Gin back to their friends, waving at Keigo and Rangiku as she did. "Did you find your table?" she asked them.

"It's on the other side of the room," Rangiku answered with a pout.

"You'll survive," Rukia reassured her.

"I know. I just wanted to get to tease Mr. Pineapple Head some more," Rangiku replied with a giggle.

"Damn it! Stop calling me that!" Renji cried, exasperated with Rangiku.

Rangiku stuck her tongue out at Renji before pulling Keigo away from the group before Renji could retaliate.

"That one's nothing but trouble," Renji muttered instead.

"But she's fun trouble," Rukia pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Renji.

"Don't be so grumpy! We're here to have a good time," Rukia said.

"Who died and made you the boss? I'll act how I want to!" growled Renji.

"Stubborn fool!" snapped Rukia.

"Keh. You're so annoying," muttered Renji.

Rukia rolled her eyes and sat down at the table. "So what's on the menu for tonight?" she asked the others sitting at the table.

"Pasta, salad, chicken," Ikkaku replied.

"The same old banquet hall food they serve everywhere," added Izuru.

"You'd think they'd offer a better selection for prom. I'm sure the food will be disgusting as usual," pouted Yumichika.

"I'm sure it isn't that bad," Rukia said.

Yumichika gave her an anguished look. "You have no idea!"

"Stop being melodramatic," muttered Ikkaku. Yumichika glared at his boyfriend as they started to bicker.

"Yumichika ended up with food poisoning last year," Izuru explained to Rukia as they tried to ignore Yumichika and Ikkaku's fight.

"Half the people who went last year ended up with food poisoning. That's why we're at a different hall this year," Momo added.

"Wow. That really sucks," Rukia said sympathetically.

Momo nodded. "It was a mess."

"And Yumichika was such a drama queen about it. He skipped school for a whole week because of it," added Ikkaku, who had finally stopped arguing with Yumichika.

"A week? Isn't that a little excessive?" inquired Rukia.

"Hardly! My beauty was marred by the whole ordeal! I could not leave my house in such a state!" Yumichika replied defensively.

"In other words, it was definitely excessive," Izuru said.

"You're awful Izuru!" Yumichika exclaimed

Izuru just smiled pleasantly. "You make it too easy sometimes Yumichika."

"Gin's a bad influence on you!" whined Yumichika.

"Ain't tha' th' truth?" Gin said, popping up behind Yumichika.

"You would be proud of that," groaned Yumichika.

Gin just grinned and ruffled Yumichika's hair. "Damn straight," he said before slipping away into the crowd of students, leaving Yumichika seething at the table.

"Yumichika? Are you okay?" Rukia asked softly.

"Forgive me Rukia, but I'm going to kill your boyfriend. Right now," Yumichika said through clenched teeth. He got up quickly, forgetting to fix his hair, and stalked off after Gin.

"I guess that leaves you without a date," mused Ikkaku.

"You too. Yumichika might lock himself in the bathroom until he feels pretty again," Rukia replied.

"Well, might as well take my turn with you," Ikkaku told her with a shrug.

"Gee, don't sound so thrilled there Ikkaku," Rukia said sarcastically.

"Keh. I hate dancing so feel flattered I'm giving you the honour," Ikkaku said.

"If you don't want to dance, don't," Rukia told him.

"Shut up and dance!" Ikkaku demanded. He stood up and offered Rukia his hand. Rukia rolled her eyes but accepted Ikkaku's hand and headed out to the dance floor with him.

"Wow. I never expected that from Ikkaku," murmured Momo.

Izuru gave a tiny nod. He knew Ikkaku was doing it because Gin had asked them to do everything possible to ensure Rukia had a good time. If that meant doing something they disliked, Gin expected them to suck it up and do it. Surprisingly enough, Ikkaku seemed to be going along with it without his usual angry ranting.

"He's secretly a softie at heart, isn't he?" Momo asked Izuru.

"I think so. Just don't let on that you know," the blond answered.

"Obviously," Momo said.

"Do you want to join them?" Izuru asked hesitantly.

Momo smiled at her date. "I'd love to," she replied. Izuru smiled back and lead Momo off to the dance floor.

* * *

By the time the meal was served, Rukia felt like she had danced with everyone in the hall at least once. Her feet ached from her shoes and she was starting to feel weak and a little light headed. She had assumed she was feeling so bad because she hadn't eaten in a few hours and was relieved when Gin led her back to their table to eat.

Instead she found that she had no appetite at all. Eating took a lot of energy that she just did not have. She excused herself and rushed off to the bathroom, hoping her friends didn't notice how weak she was feeling. Inside the bathroom, she pretended to fix her hair and makeup until she was the only girl in there.

Muttering a few curses under her breath, Rukia slumped against a wall and sank down to the floor. She hadn't imagined that she'd end up in such a state before the night was through. She had been feeling rather healthy when Rangiku and Orihime had been helping her get ready for the evening. She'd even managed to feel hopeful about her situation.

'_Damn it!_' she thought, covering her face with her hands. She could bear the thought of returning to the table and ruining everyone's night. Her friends had gone out of their way for her all night. She could not repay their kindness by ditching them before the night was through.

"Suck it up Rukia. You can do this," she muttered to herself. She had spent so much time already forcing herself to appear normal, surely she could handle a few more hours of it. Besides, after an hour or so she could blame it all on her god awful heels. That was something normal girls did, wasn't it? Rukia had always assumed so.

'_Deep breaths Rukia. Take a few more minutes to get your act together,_' she told herself. She could do this. She would get through the night. She was stronger than that. Her inner strength was great even if her body was weak and failing. Rukia closed her violet eyes and took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, blocking out everything around her.

"Rukia? Are you all right?"

Rukia's eyes fluttered open and gazed into the sympathetic eyes of Nanao Ise, Shuuhei's date. Rukia just stared at Nanao for a long moment before nodding slightly.

"Should I get Gin for you?" Nanao asked worriedly.

"NO! Please, you can't tell anyone!" Rukia cried before scrambling to get to her feet.

Nanao didn't look convinced. From what Rangiku and Shuuhei had told her about Rukia, Nanao felt like she needed to go rushing back to their table to get Rukia's date.

"Nanao, please! You can't!" Rukia pleaded. "I'd never forgive myself for ruining prom for everyone!"

Nanao frowned at Rukia. "I really don't think it's a good idea..." she said slowly.

"I'm fine! I'm just not used to being in shoes like these! That's all it is!" Rukia insisted.

Nanao gave her a sceptical look before sighing. "Of course it's those shoes. They even look painful."

"You have no idea!" Rukia exclaimed before rushing out of the washroom before Nanao could change her mind.

When Rukia returned to the table, she forced herself to act normal and quickly joined in with the laughter and the light teasing that was normal for Gin and his friends. She even managed to eat without rushing back to the washroom to be sick.

'_See?_' she thought, '_Faking it is easy_.'

"Rukia, let's go back out on the dance floor! Beauty such as ours should not be wasted on this group of barbarians," Yumichika finally said, giving his friends a disdainful look before he grinned at Rukia.

The raven haired girl laughed. "Sounds good!" she said quickly before she could lose her resolve. Dancing was the last thing she had wanted to do but she would do it anyway. It was better than sitting around willing the night to end.

"Be careful Ichimaru, he might steal your girlfriend from you," taunted Renji.

"You'd be stuck with Ikkaku," Shuuhei added.

"It would serve them both right," Yumichika said as he offered his hand to Rukia. "Don't you agree Princess?"

Rukia smiled and accepted Yumichika's hand as she got up. "It would be funny," she replied with a devilish grin for Gin.

"Yer both so funny," Gin told them.

"Do I detect some jealousy there Gin?" asked Yumichika.

"Ya detect sarcasm," Gin replied.

"Smart ass," Yumichika said before leading Rukia away from the table for the second time that night.

Rukia looked over her shoulder and gave Gin a wave before she disappeared into the crowd of students already on the dance floor.


	19. Farewell Kiss

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 19 ~ Farewell Kiss  
**_  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes: **Here's update number two for you guys!

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers StarPrincess999 (Just an homage to my fave anime series there with Ikkaku! Could not resist!), falconrukichi, and PunkRockHolly (Their prom went better than mine lol).

* * *

_"My friends think I'm moving on/But the truth is I'm not that strong/And nobody knows it but me_  
_And I've kept all the words you said/In a box underneath my bed/And nobody knows it but me" (All We'd Ever Need, Lady Antebellum)_

"I'm sorry I made you leave early," Rukia apologized softly.

"Don' apologize. Ya needed t' leave. Ya look exhausted," Gin scolded before wrapping an arm around Rukia and pulling her close.

Half an hour after joining Yumichika on the dance floor, Rukia couldn't keep up her charade any longer. Being sick and bed ridden for weeks had left her weaker than she had realized. She had been about to ask Yumichika to take her back to their table when Gin had appeared at her side. He apologized to Yumichika before stealing Rukia away and leading her out of the banquet hall.

They had gone back to Rukia and Byakuya's house instead of the hospital and were cuddling on the front steps, enjoying the warm evening contentedly. Rukia had wanted to sleep in her own bed for once and Gin had no intention of denying her anything.

"Yer sure ya ain't gonna be in trouble wi' Unohana if ya sleep here?" Gin asked as he looked down at his girlfriend. Even sitting down he still loomed over Rukia.

"Dr. Unohana isn't the person you should be worrying about," Rukia said as she reached up and started to remove the pins holding her hair up.

"I ain't afraid o' yer brother. An' I think Byakuya's afraid o' yer doctor too," Gin told her as he pulled a pin from her hair as well.

"I don't get why you guys are so afraid of Dr. Unohana. She's such a kind woman and she's always smiling," Rukia said as she and Gin pulled the last remaining pins from her hair. Her raven tresses fell down to her shoulders and Gin ran a hand through them. "She's motherly," Rukia added as her eyes fluttered closed. She quite enjoyed having Gin play with her hair.

"'Xactly. She's like a lioness an' th' patients are her cubs," Gin stated matter-of-factly. He continued to play with Rukia's hair while she snuggled closer to him.

"Stop being a baby," she said softly.

"Ain't bein' a baby," Gin said.

"Sure you aren't."

"Babies don' have pretty girls they can kiss," Gin said as he tilted Rukia's head upwards with his free hand and placed a tender kiss on her lips.

Rukia responded by turning slightly and wrapping her arms around Gin's neck, pulling him closer as she did. Gin's kiss became harder and needier. One hand remained in her hair, gently holding her to him; while the other slowly dropped down to caress her bare shoulder. Rukia shivered and let her hands wander up and down Gin's back and through his silver hair. Her kisses became just as needy and hungry as Gin's, which excited and scared Rukia at the same time.

Gin wrapped his arms around Rukia's petite body and pulled her onto his lap. Rukia let him and pressed herself against him without thinking twice. Gin left one arm wrapped around Rukia while the other hand found its way to Rukia's breast. The dark haired girl gasped in surprise when Gin gave her breast a gentle squeeze. Gin used the moment to his advantage and slipped his tongue into her mouth to explore.

"Ahem."

Gin's hand dropped and Rukia pulled away before she could carry their kiss further. They both glanced over their shoulders to find Byakuya standing behind them, his arms folded across his chest and an eyebrow raised. He was trying to give them a stern, disapproving look but was failing. The young lovers tried to hide their smiles but failed.

"I appreciate you bringing Rukia home in one piece," Byakuya said stiffly.

Gin nodded. "Figgered ya would."

"Goodnight Gin," Byakuya said before retreating back into the house.

"I guess that's your cue to leave, huh?" Rukia said, genuinely surprised at how well Byakuya had reacted considering he had just caught Rukia and Gin making out.

"Sure. Best t' go b'fore he kills me," agreed Gin as he got to his feet. He took Rukia's hand and helped her up as well. "G'night, Rukia," he said before kissing her softly.

"Goodnight Gin," she said softly. Gin made his way down the steps quietly. Rukia watched him go and called, "I love you!"

Gin stopped at the end of the Kuchikis' front walk and flashed Rukia a loving smile before disappearing into the night. Rukia slipped into the house quietly, half expecting Byakuya to be waiting for her at the door.

Instead she found him in his home office, staring at a blank computer screen. "Brother?" she said as she entered the office.

"You are home early," Byakuya said, his gaze briefly leaving the computer screen.

Rukia nodded. "I'm so exhausted. It took a lot out of me," she admitted.

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

"I really did," Rukia said happily. "All our friends made sure I had a good time."

"I am glad," Byakuya told her.

Rukia frowned a touch. Something in her brother's tone worried her. "Are you mad that I didn't return to the hospital?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not! Why would you even think that?" Byakuya demanded.

Rukia looked at her feet instead of at her brother. "You just... don't sound happy with me..."

Byakuya sighed and rubbed his temples. "Forgive me. I did not mean to upset you," he apologized. Byakuya stood up and approached Rukia quietly. Gently he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I am just worried about you. You do not look as well as you did earlier. It startled me," he explained, his tone softer and kinder.

"I don't feel as well as I did earlier either," Rukia said with a slight grimace.

"You should go to your room and sleep, Rukia," he told her. "We will talk more in the morning."

"Goodnight, Brother. I'll see you in the morning," Rukia told him before leaving the office and going up to her own room for the night.

Byakuya watched her go and when he was certain she was far enough away, he let out a sigh. He could feel that the end was near. In a matter of hours his sister had gone from full of life and energy to looking frail and burnt out. His heart ached more than he was comfortable admitting. Emotions were not something Byakuya was good with, heart ache especially. Each time he lost someone precious to him, he tried harder and harder to lock his emotions away for good. He found himself wishing more and more to be rid of them completely each time. Human attachment and emotional bonds were far worse than turning your heart into a chunk of solid unbreakable stone.

Byakuya knew, though, that he would never be able to become an emotionless man while Rukia still lived. He could not do that to her nor could he tell her all that was going through his head. It would break her heart and make her miserable. He would not sacrifice her happiness for his selfish desires. Making sure she was happy and comfortable at the end was his duty as a good brother.

With that in mind, Byakuya picked up the phone and began making phone calls to ensure his sister's happiness and comfort.


	20. Goodbye

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 20 ~ Goodbye  
**_  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** This is the last real chapter of this story! Tomorrow will be the last minute epilogue I wrote up. It's been an adventure writing this. I have to admit that this was the sing hardest chapter for me to write. Posting it today and posting the epilogue tomorrow have kind of a bittersweet meaning for me. I put a lot of my own feelings into this chapter (hence why it was hard to write).

Dedicated to my grandfather, one of the only people in my family to ever encourage my writing, who passed away four years ago tomorrow.

Many thanks to my readers and reviewers Uchiha Hiru (It was a crack pairing one of my best friends suggested, haha.), StarPrincess999 (I'm not spoiling anything :P), PunkRockHolly (The title was ominous foreshadowing? HaHa And sounded better than goodnight kiss!), Miho Ichimaru (I'm glad you like it), and falconrukichi (Yep, they did something all right ;D)!

* * *

_"A single lifetime lays behind her__/__As she draws her final breath__/__Just beyond the door he'll find her__  
__Taking her hand she softly says__/__For the first time you can open your eyes__/__And see the world without your sorrow__  
__Where no one knows the pain you left behind__/__And all the peace you could never find__/__Is waiting there to hold and keep you__" _(Open Up Your Eyes; Daughtry)

Late the next morning Byakuya awoke at his computer desk. The monitor of his computer glowed brightly and Byakuya had to cover his eyes for a moment. The clock at the bottom corner of the screen read noon and Byakuya groaned. Not only had he overslept but he had slept poorly at that. He was sore and irritated. He needed a strong cup of coffee or something caffeinated to help him cope with being awake. He could not start the day properly without some sort of caffeinated beverage in his system. Though he was usually up before the sun, Byakuya Kuchiki was by no means a morning person. He was a regular monster until he got his caffeine fix. Normally Rukia had the coffee pot set up to start brewing coffee for him when he woke up. He supposed expecting it to be done for him that day was ludicrous. He would have to try to incorporate that task into his own nightly routine.

"Ya look awful Kuchiki."

Byakuya felt his eye twitch violently. Obviously he was stuck in some sort of hellish nightmare. First he'd overslept and now he was being haunted by the voice of Gin Ichimaru, the one person in the world who Byakuya never wanted to encounter before a cup of coffee in the morning.

"An' ya sleep like th' dead."

Byakuya growled and looked over his shoulder at Gin. "Why are you here Ichimaru?" he demanded.

"Rukia called me at th' crack o' dawn. Seems ya made some pretty nifty arrangements an' slept righ' through'em," answered Gin. "An' ain't like Rukia's in any shape ta handle anythin' so consumin'."

Byakuya's cheeks burned with shame and he looked everywhere but at Gin. He was not proud of his actions however accidental they were. He should have been awake and prepared.

"Ain't like I mind. Makes me look cooler in Rukia's eyes," Gin went on,

"Is there a point to this?" Byakuya snapped.

"Nah. Jus' felt like bein' an ass," Gin said nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Get out of my office," growled Byakuya. "Better still, get out of my house. I do not wish to deal with the likes of you at such an hour."

"It's noon."

Byakuya growled again.

"Ya wouldn' wanna kill th' guy who brought ya coffee, would ya?" Gin asked, offering Byakuya a cup.

Byakuya took the cup and drank most of it quickly. He smiled faintly as a wam feeling spread through his body. He took another sip and his eye stopped its violent twitching.

"Ain't tha' better?" Gin asked. His ever present smile had widened in amusement at the sight of Byakuya before and after the cup of coffee.

"Do not patronize me," Ichimaru," warned the dark haired man.

"Me? Patronize ya? Never," Gin insisted.

"You may leave my home now. Your presence is no longer required here," Byakuya dismissed the silver haired youth.

"Ain't goin' nowhere t'day," Gin said, his tone becoming serious. "She ain't good."

Byakuya set his now empty cup down. "I did not think she would be. That is why I arranged for her to remain here," he admitted.

"She looks like she didn' get no sleep last night," Gin said.

"I truly am sorry that you had to go through this. I do not wish this burden on anyone," Byakuya said sincerely.

"What? Ya think I regret this b'cause of a li'l heartache?" Gin asked incredulously. "I ain't sorry an' I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I ain't sayin' I wouldn' do things dif'rently, but I don' regret none of it."

Byakuya regarded Gin thoughtfully for a moment. "Perhaps I might have misjudged you," said Byakuya, his words carefully chosen so he would not admit he had been wrong outright.

Gin, of course, did not miss that either. "Might have, huh?"

"Indeed. You may still prove yourself unfit yet again," Byakuya told him.

"Ya jus' need t' get tha' stick outta yer ass an' ya might like me," Gin pointed out.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes at Gin. "That is exactly the sort of thing I am referring to, Ichimaru."

Gin just shrugged and continued to grin calmly at the older Kuchiki Gin had to make light of something. He just was not suited to be outwardly serious at all times or at any time. Was it really his fault if Byakuya Kuchiki was such an easy target? Gin didn't think so.

"I need to attend to Rukia," Byakuya said, motioning for Gin to vacate the office. Gin shrugged again and left the room with Byakuya following behind. "You may wait in the living room," the dark haired man added as he locked the office door behind him.

"Yer not kickin' me out?" Gin asked, genuinely surprised by Byakuya.

"Do you wish for me to do so?"

"'Course not," Gin answered before disappearing into the living room while Byakuya went in the opposite direction.

Byakuya knocked lightly on Rukia's open bedroom door before entering the room. He had thought he was prepared for the worst but when he saw his sister he thought his heart had quite literally shattered.

Rukia turned her head to look at her brother and offered him a weak smile. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought," she said quietly.

"It is quite understandable," Byakuya told her. He could not say anymore than that without sounding like he was scolding her. He knew asking her why she had hid the severity of her illness from him for so long would sound like he was angry rather than upset. He knew the answer to the question without having to ask anyway. She hadn't wanted him to suffer like he had when Hisana died. It was Rukia's way to be strong. She had always kept quiet about her weaknesses. Hisana had been the same way. Byakuya knew that Rukia, like Hisana, had wanted to live life on her own terms. While Hisana had ended up shutting people out, Rukia had wanted to live the rest of her days like a normal teenage girl. And she had succeeded at it up until the end, which made Byakuya admiration of his sister's strength stronger than his regret over the what ifs.

"Thank you for all this," Rukia said and weakly motioned to the various machines now set up in her room.

"I did not believe it to be right to have you return to the hospital when you are more comfortable here," Byakuya said and sat at the edge of Rukia's bed.

"My bed is definitely better than that hospital bed," Rukia agreed.

Byakuya watched his sister for a moment. "Are you scared Rukia?" he asked quietly.

Rukia searched Byakuya's face carefully, thoughtfully. She could not remember ever seeing him so vulnerable, so scared himself. "Brother..."

"It just occurred to me that I never asked Hisana if she was scared," Byakuya continued, looking appalled and ashamed. "Instead of fighting with her, I should have been her strength. I should have asked her if she was afraid to die. I should have held her hand until the very end instead of being so cold to her."

Smiling softly, Rukia held her hand out to Byakuya. "I'm not Hisana, but you can hold my hand as long as you want," she told him. She could not help herself when she looked at Byakuya. For the first time she could remember, he was wearing his guilt and heartache on his sleeve instead of bottling it up inside.

Byakuya took her small, frail looking hand into his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I am... scared, Rukia," he admitted, choosing his words carefully. Admitting his feelings so freely was not his strong point, It made him feel awkward and uncomfortable.

"It's okay to be scared," Rukia told him. "I'm scared too."

"I should have done more for you, been stronger for you," Byakuya confessed.

Rukia shook her head. "No. Brother, you did more than enough. You're amazing. And you're the reason I was able to be as strong as I have been!"

Byakuya frowned. "Rukia, I–"

"No, Byakuya. I won't let you talk like that! I know you have regrets, but you have to trust me when I tell you these things," Rukia insisted, cutting Byakuya off.

"I... of course, Rukia. I will not argue with you, you have my word," Byakuya conceded. The last thing he wanted to do was spend their remaining time together arguing with each other. Rukia gave him a smug smile and Byakuya chuckled softly. "Thank you."

"No, Brother, I should be thanking you. You've done more for me than you ever had to," Rukia told him.

"Likewise, you have done the same for me," said Byakuya and he squeezed her hand again.

"Brother?"

"Yes?"

"Will you stay with me while I sleep?" Rukia asked, suddenly sounding scared.

"I will stay," Byakuya reassured the younger girl. He rose from the bed, letting her hand go at the same time, and went to wheel Rukia's computer chair next to the bed. When he sat down again, Byakuya reached for Rukia's hand and held it gently once more.

"Good night, Brother," Rukia murmured and closed her eyes.

"Rest well, Rukia," Byakuya said softly and leaned forward to kiss Rukia's forehead.

* * *

Gin sat and stared out the window at the rain. He was surrounded by all their friends but he spoke to no one. He had nothing yo say to anyone about anything. He hadn't spoken more than a few words to any of them over the last few days. Every time someone tried to talk to him about Rukia, all he could think about was that last day.

_Gin walked into Rukia's room some time after Byakuya had gone to see her. The moment he had taken a step into Rukia's room Gin had felt something was wrong._

_ "Kuchiki?" he said hesitantly._

_ Byakuya looked over his shoulder at Gin, who went pale. Silent tears had begun to roll down Byakuya's cheeks. "I am sorry," was all the older man could manage to say._

_ Horrified, Gin took a step toward Rukia's bed. He could not bring himself to accept Byakuya's words without seeing the truth with his own eyes. Gin took one look at Rukia and a strangled sob escaped his lips._

_ A serene feeling seemed to fall over the entire room and Gin saw, for the first time in a long while, Rukia looking perfectly at peace. She was free of pain, free of all her suffering. Gin was relieved and heartbroken and eerily calm all at the same time. He held his tears back, unable to accept the truth but knowing deep in his heart that she was truly gone._

_ He turned to look at Byakuya. Though the older man was still crying, he was doing so quietly while still clutching his sister's hand. He had held on to the very end and obviously was not ready to let go. Without saying anything to Byakuya, Gin left. He could not bear to be in Rukia's room any longer._

It had rained every day since then. Gin had sat in his room watching the rain every day since then. It did not surprise him at all when it rained through the entire funeral. Gin had been unable to shed a single tear himself. All the rain seemed to make up for it in his mind. If it rained every day for the rest of his life he wouldn't care. He did not want to move on. He could not move on.

For Gin, there could not possibly be life after Rukia.


	21. Epilogue

**Life After You**

_**Chapter 21 ~ Epilogue  
**_  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**Author's Notes:** Here is the epilogue! A lot of it was definitely influenced by my own feelings surrounded the death of my grandfather four years ago and my great-grandfather three years ago. Finding myself in the same situation as Gin today, I can say honestly that I am glad that I added this spur of the moment epilogue instead of leaving everyone with such a sad end.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this, review this, and support this story! Much love to all of you!

* * *

_ "Gin, sweetie, you can't keep shutting the world out like this," Rangiku told her childhood friend. She had gone out of her way to visit him since he had been avoiding the world for almost two months._

_ "What's the point Ran? Ain't got a life no more," Gin sulked from his bed. He had barely moved from it in the weeks that had followed the end of his relationship. When he did leave the confines of his room, anyone who saw him swore they were looking at a ghost. Surely that was all Gin was by that point, a ghost of his former self._

_ "Nonsense!" snapped Rangiku. Carefully, she sat down on Gin's bed. "You still have me. And all our friends," she added softly._

_ "They're mostly her friends," he muttered before moving until his head was resting on her lap._

_ "They're your friends too," Rangiku sighed as she idly ran her hand affectionately through Gin's short, silvery hair._

_ "I jus' don' know what t'do now, Ran. I love her so much it hurts," Gin admitted, glancing up at his friend._

_ "I know. It'll get easier, I promise."_

_ "Ya sure?"_

_ Rangiku just nodded and continued to stroke his hair. "I'll be here every step of the way," she told him._

_ "Thanks, Ran."_

As Gin Ichimaru remembered that long ago conversation he had had with his best friend, he could not help but smile sadly. That had been the first time he had admitted aloud to anyone that he had loved Rukia Kuchiki. It was one of his many regrets about his relationship with Rukia and one of the reasons he had been unable to move on after her death for many months.

One year later, Gin was not entirely sure that he had moved on. He had gone off to college a few weeks after that conversation with Rangiku, moving half a world away from Karakura and most of his reminders of Rukia. Though they had only been together for a few months, Rukia had been his whole world. Losing her had been hard on him and he had felt that moving away would be the best choice for him. Despite that, he thought about her daily. He had been unable to stop himself.

That was why, a year later, he was standing in front of the stone that marked where she had been laid to rest. He crouched down to place a bouquet of her favourite flowers by the stone before reaching out and touching the engraved writing on it, lightly tracing her name. A stray tear rolled down his cheek as he whispered the words he had never told her when she was alive. "I love ya, Rukia Kuchiki. Always have an' always will."

Gin stood up. "Goodbye," he said quietly and cast one last lingering look at the tombstone before turning and walking away. Having spoken the words he had always meant to say, Gin felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt ready to let his heart start to heal and to start living life again.


End file.
